Blue Lightening
by Skarla
Summary: Timeline shift between pre and post war. Clubbing, dancing, street life and I'm aiming at a 02xSolo story... now Complete.
1. Prologue

Quatre smiled up at Trowa as the older pilot led him down the stairs towards the music room. He had been banned from playing the violin until the rapier wound in his side had healed, and it was driving him nuts. Finally, he had managed to persuade both Trowa and the maguanac doctor that he was _fine, thank you very much_!

He, Trowa and Duo Maxwell had been living in one of Quatre's houses on Earth once the battle had ended. Despite Trowa's best efforts, Duo had been treated badly when he had passed into the hands of the soldiers, and so the pair of musicians were surprised to see a familiar black-clad figure limping slowly along the corridor ahead of them.

They immediately froze. Trowa matched his breathing to Duo's with the ease of long practice. Quatre, less skilled than his taller friend, matched his to Trowa's. They watched in concern as Duo tentatively made his way to the end of the corridor, and slowly pushed open the door to the music room. As quietly as possible, the pair crept down after him.

Duo was standing next to the piano, an odd, unreadable look on his face. As they gazed, he hesitantly sat on the stool and rested his fingers on the keys.

'_Can he play?_' Quatre mouthed up at Trowa. The green eyed ex-mercenary shrugged.

A second later Quatre's question was answered for him, as piano music filled the room. Quatre identified the tune as a hymn, but Duo was doing far more than merely tapping out the tune or the chording beneath it, as was common for church music. His slender thief's fingers flew over the keys. The tune melded seamlessly into the introduction for an old rock song that Quatre couldn't remember the name of. Trowa raised an eyebrow.

"A whiter shade of pale?" he questioned in a whisper. "And that's Bohemian Rhapsody," he added quietly as the tune changed yet again.

Unfortunately, the introduction to Bohemian Rhapsody was a lot quieter, and Duo heard him. He tensed, and the music came to a halt. Quatre, seeing no need to hide, stepped forward.

"That was beautiful, Duo. I didn't know you could play."

"Someone taught me, long ago," Duo replied quietly. "You want to practice; I'll go now."

Before Quatre could protest, he was out the door and limping along the corridor again. Trowa laid a restraining hand on the blond's shoulder, a silent warning not to go after him.

"I was going to ask him to practice with us," Quatre said sadly.

"I don't think he's quite ready for that, little one."

"Stupid… stupid…. _Stupid_," Duo hissed at himself as he sat on his bed. He should have realized sooner that he had an audience. He was a pilot for god's sakes! And he had been watching his own back for as long as he could remember.

The end of the war had broken down all his defenses, and he needed to get his mask back in place _quickly_, or Quatre would realize that his current behavior was normal, and that the jester was a fake.

Not that Duo didn't like ice-cream or board games, he just wasn't quite as vocal about things as he liked people to believe. If he was loud all the time, they would never expect him to be able to stay quiet.

But his ability to be quiet was the reason he was still here.

Solo had been quiet. Solo had taught him the same. Duo could remember the lessons.

"Git across the room wi'out makin' a noise, kiddo. Then ya can 'ave some of this bread."

The real reward had been the look of pride and approval in Solo's eyes. But as soon as he learnt to walk without a sound, Solo had begun to teach him how to walk with an obvious limp, and after that how to mimic being blind.

"The trick is ta never focus on someone," he remembered the whispered instructions. "Ya look over their shoulder, turn ya ear to their face. An' look a few meters beyond, k?"

The lessons took place every spare moment. The rest of Duo's time was spent begging. Stealing was a last resort, because stealing drew attention. Solo used to vanish for a few hours every three or four days. He always came back with a handful of credits, smelling of beer and cheap perfume, clutching a packet of cigarettes.

It had almost killed him when G had made him give up smoking. But at least he had never made him cut his hair, after the first attempt. Probably figured that it wasn't worth the broken bones.

Duo looked at his wallet. Everything was over now, what was to stop him from walking to the nearest store and buying a pack?

Nothing. Time to find a car.

The valets at Quatre's place were scarily helpful. He had even been given directions. And he was sure that the female one had been checking him out.

'Sorry, lovely, I don't swing that way.'

The car handled like a dream. Duo took one hand off of the wheel to fiddle with the radio, trying to get a decent station. The name 'Relena Peacecraft' in a newscast made him pause.

/Miss Peacecraft, accompanied by her new bodyguard, Heero Yuy, appeared in London today, one of the few surviving cities of the Old World. There, with the Thames River providing an imposing background through large glass windows, she continued her talks about this new Era of Peace, giving advice and encouragement to all Citizens./

"Huh. Good luck, princess. I hope your Heero is taking good care of you."

The car park was mostly empty, and Duo was able to find a spot right next to the entrance. Once he stepped inside, he found that the store was way more than your average supermarket.

"Figures. This is L4 after all. I might as well buy me some clothes and shit while I'm here."

Black t-shirts, black jeans, red silk boxers (just for a change), more socks, boots? Why not, his were falling apart. Ooh, look, a pharmacy section. Painkillers. Tubigrip for his knee. Hair bands? Why not. A new hairbrush. Soap, shampoo. Did he really need to get his ear pierced?

Doughnuts. A leather jacket. A sliver shirt with a dragon design. Mirrored sunglasses…? They look cool. Apples. Mt. Dew. Was he going somewhere? Why did it feel like he was packing for a trip? Pens. Pencils. Paper. Lined? Plain? Both. Chewing gum – cool, they have cinnamon flavour. A lighter. Cigarettes. Look, Solo, they even have your brand! Deodorant.

Music? He didn't know any of these names. Matchbox 20 sounded familiar. Weren't they pre-colony? They were probably ok then. Real music. Picture frames… did he even have any pictures? Yes, there were a few. Ok then. A torch. Chocolate. Cereal bars. Wow, cool, they have novelty models of the Gundams out already. Sure, they're tacky, but they are a memorial.

Man, I could make something better than this. Maybe I will. Hey, rucksacks! Gonna need one; this'll never all fit in my duffel.

Where am I going?

Home.

Where's home?

L2. Solo.

And just like that it was decided.


	2. Office Girls Celebration

AC 189

Fierce eyes stared out into the dark, busy street, framed by a curtain of dirty blond hair. God, he needed a shower. And a new bandana, this one was getting a little too ragged. But first, food. He had the kid to protect.

Kid was huddled in the shadows provided by a reasonably dry cardboard box. There was even some paper in the bottom to shield the cold of the concrete. Solo focused on the cigarette held carefully in kid's grubby fist, then at the wide purple eyes.

"Ok, I'm off. I'll be back soon, k?"

"K."

"If I'm not back by dawn, get outta here. See if Sharkey's gang'll take ya in. Do wotever 'e tells ya to, k?"

"K, Solo."

"Stay safe, Kiddo."

"Stay safe."

Solo hated to leave the other boy, but they needed credits. And he could do with some more smokes. For a few hours of hell, he got cleaned, made a little money and was usually able to earn a pack of smokes in exchange for a few smiles.

The front of the club was garish, harsh blue neon lights streaming over the splattered pavement. Solo made his way soundlessly around the back. Bradd recognised him and let him in.

"Lonewolf, darling, how have you been?" he was asked as soon as he stepped foot inside, reveling in the warmth.

"Fine, thanks, Mystique" he replied, looking up at the scantily clad blonde. Her hair was in loose ringlets tonight, falling over her red satin clad shoulders.

"I'll let Scar know you're here. Have a shower, and see Bess about a costume, ok?"

"Thanks."

"No problem, honey. Don't skimp on the shampoo, you know how they like your hair. You can use my drier."

Solo nodded, and moved off in the direction of the bathrooms. He hated this job, and he hated himself more, for the knowledge that he would be grooming the Kid for this role soon enough. The people were nice enough that it was not an opportunity to be missed.

Scar walked into the bathroom as he was drying his hair, a towel wrapped around his slim waist. Solo eyed the pile of clothes in his hands. Blue net tonight, huh?

"Evening, Lonewolf," the tall man said.

"Evenin', sir. What do ya want me to do tonight?"

"Hm… there's a spot free on the poles in ten minutes. By then I might have a client lined up for you. If not, you'll be serving for the night."

"Thanks."

"Its no problem, you're popular and you bring in the customers. More so for your erratic appearances."

"Um… boss?"

"Yeah?"

"I got a friend, 'e's a bit young now, but I was thinkin' of trainin' him up a little."

"Really? Good. Bring him with you when you think he's ready and I'll see what we make of him."

"Thank you, sir."

He felt dirty, despite the shower that he had just taken, but at least the kid had some hope of a future. Scar was a fair man. He made sure that the customers didn't touch the workers who didn't want to be touched, and kept his place relatively drug-free.

The blue net scratched against his skin as he dragged it on. A tight shirt and loose pants that gathered at the ankles. There was a blue sequined thong too. Fun. This was going to chafe against the pole, he could tell. Once he was dressed, he quickly made his way to the performing area of the club. A nameless dancer pointed him to the left of the stage. The stage was central, positioned at the back of the club, with poles on separate bases flanking each side. There were a few dancing cages suspended from the ceiling, and the rest of the floor space was taken up by small tables and booths. The bar was an island nearer the door. On special nights, the tables were cleared away, leaving a dancing floor in the centre of the club. Those nights were good nights, a pretty boy could get a lot of tips.

Solo chalked his hands, and then stepped out. The club was smoky, the patrons hidden in shadow. He stalked over to the free pole with a smooth, cat-like gait that bought him a few whistles from the crowd. Careful not to let his feelings show on his face, he closed his eyes and began to dance. He did this for the Kid. He did this so that they could eat. And if Kid started working too, maybe they would bring in enough credits to look after a few more streetrats. Or they could save up and maybe fix up a proper lair. There was a fire-gutted building a few blocks away, but they would need to buy some boards; the first floor was unstable and the basement already taken. Only an idiot would make a lair on the ground floor of a building, that was asking for someone to come in and find you.

Solo filled his minds with dreams of the future as he moved to the beat. He ignored the eyes that he could sense tracing his limbs and the smoke that dried his throat. There was a glass of free water waiting for him backstage, and it would be clean too.

"Wolf!" someone hissed, and he knew that his time was up. He gracefully swung around the pole until he lay on the floor, then slid off of the platform and made his way backstage, searching for that glass of water.

"Wolf, there's a party of girls, looks like an office group."

"Ok. What do they want?"

"You'll serve, and do anything else they ask. If it goes on till the end of your normal shift, you'll get all your credits for dancing, plus the tips they give you. If they run up a large tab I might give you a cut of that too, depends on how business goes. Fair?"

"You're always fair to me, boss. Thanks," Solo said, brushing his hair out of his eyes and setting his empty glass back on the table.

"It's fine, Wolf. I like you. Anyways, if I treat you good, you keep on coming back. There's one guy who I'm fairly sure turns up just to watch you, you know."

"Really?"

"Don't worry, I make it clear to everyone that you're not selling," Scar said, winking.

"Thanks again, boss."

"No sweat. Table 10. If they get too pushy, tell Mickey, ok?"

"K."

Table ten turned out to be surrounded by six young women. Solo put on a bright smile as he approached then. "Good evenin'! I've been told that ya were looking for a server for the evenin'?"

He was suddenly under the scrutiny of six pairs of female eyes. It took work to keep the smile on his face.

The woman with short red hair spoke first. "Yes, we were. What is your name?"

"Lonewolf, lady."

"Lone wolf? So you have no pack?" a lady with very dark skin asked.

Solo was surprised by the questions. They were in one of the quieter corners of the club, true, but most patrons didn't spend their evening interrogating the staff. "I guess not. I 'ave someone I take care of, though."

"A brother?" she questioned.

"Ya could say that we're like brothers," Solo said evasively. "Would ya like t' order drinks?"

"Stop interrogating the boy, Sasha," said the red-head. Sasha pouted, but he could tell that she wasn't really offended.

"I think we'd like Bacardi and coke all round," said a woman with long black hair. She had a choker with a silver dragon design around her neck and looked Asian.

"Sure!" Solo said, smiling at her. "I'll be right back!"

Mickey, the barkeep, was quick to serve him up the drinks. "How are ya doing, Wolf?" he asked in his booming voice.

"I'm fine!" Solo shouted over the noise.

"That's good. Here's a tray, make sure ya don't spill those! I'll see ya again soon. Make sure ya tell me if there's any trouble!"

The best thing about working there, Solo reflected, was the way that they all looked out for each other. Ever since he had showed up at the back door, starving hungry and dirty, leaving Kid coughing in an alleyway, he had been welcomed and invited to work for his pay. Even if it wasn't the most respectable job in the world, word had got around that he was a worker here, and the pimps mostly left him alone.

The girls looked pleased to see him back. "So, Lonewolf, how old are you?" Sasha questioned.

"I don' know," Solo replied honestly.

"Are you serving us all night?" asked the girl with the dragon choker.

"Yes, if you'll 'ave me," Solo joked. The girls laughed, and he felt pleased. If they liked him, they were likely to tip well.

"We're here 'cause we finished up a big project today," confided a girl with very short brown hair. She hadn't spoken to him before. "We're celebrating."

"Don't tell him everything, Nicky!" protested the red-head.

"Congratulations. Would ya ladies like anythin' to nibble on? Smoke? Or do ya just wana watch the shows in peace?" he knew that the shows tonight were geared towards both sexes, so he was pretty sure that there would be something to interest them. But they surprised him.

"Actually, we'd like to talk to you, wouldn't we, girls?" Sasha said, looking around the table. They all nodded. Solo swallowed. Well, at least they didn't want lapdances…

After half an hour, he walked back to the bar and collapsed onto the polished surface.

"Wolf! You ok?" Mickey asked, concern laced through his voice.

"Women are vicious," Solo said, wearily lifting his head. "They wanna know every little thing 'bout me!"

Mickey smiled, relieved. "That just means that they like ya, Wolfie. Now, what have the lovely ladies ordered?"

"Six more Bacardi an' coke's, an' eighteen shots wi' a dish of salt an' a plate o' limes."

"Ooh, so they're getting serious," Mickey said as he squirted coke into six glasses. "Good luck. But hey, at this rate I think you'll be getting a cut of the bill. Ask them if they're tabbing it or paying as they go along, this'll take ya two trips."

Solo asked, and Sasha accompanied the blond to the bar on his return trip. He left her talking with Mickey as he carried the shots back to table 10.

The girl with the dragon choker – Mei Ling – quickly caught onto the way he eyed the cigarette machine when he passed it.

"Here, get me some ciggs," she said, handing him some change. "And get a box for yourself for later."

"Thank you," he said, startled.

"You looked so surprised," she commented when he came back with the boxes.

"You're all being so nice to me," he admitted before he could stop himself. He felt a blush spreading across his cheeks and quickly ducked his head, letting his long hair shadow his face.

"Such pretty hair, Mei commented, reaching out to touch his head. He forced himself not to flinch. They had been so nice, he couldn't spoil it now.

"Why do you keep your hair so long?" Nicky asked.

Solo shrugged. "Do ya want the sob story or the facts?" he asked.

Nicky grinned. "The facts."

"I don't have any scissors."

He got a laugh for that one. They were too drunk to seriously consider the implications of the statement.

Solo staggered out of the club several hours later, his pack of smokes clenched tightly in his fist. He was back in his comfortable street clothes, which had been rinsed through, but not washed. He never knew who did that for him.

His feet ached from running around all night, but it wasn't too bad. He had some credits hidden in various places around his body. It didn't take him too long to reach the alleyway where he had left the Kid. Scared purple eyes peered out at him from the shadows of the box as he approached.

"Ya gotta be more careful, Kid," Solo admonished. "I coulda bin anyone."

Kid shook his head, his longish brown hair swinging around his face. "Nope. I knows ya steps." A small, smudged hand pressed a cigarette into his hands. "Here ya goes. I kept safe."

"Good boy. Ok, I think we's good 'ere for the night."

"Wots left of it."

"Shh now."

Solo wedged himself into the box, settling Kid onto his lap. The younger boy curled up against him and settled into a light doze. Solo knew that he would be awake again the instant he moved. Solo leaned back and closed his eyes, unwilling to watch the progression of time as the dawn light slowly illuminated the pavement. They were safe, for now.

Used to be, that Solo would regularly move around, always running from danger and hiding in the shadows. But Kid would never be able to keep up with that. They were in the grey area between two major gang territories, and they had the club as a fairly sure source of income. Once Kid began making some credits as well they could make a more permanent lair. Well hidden. And get a few more of the streetrats out of their soggy cardboard boxes and… into dryer ones. There wasn't a whole lot to hope for, but there was something.

A small tug made him open his eyes and glance down. Kid had grabbed a hold of his long tail of blond hair, now clean thanks to his shower. He was holding it tight in his fist, his face serene in sleep, but still with a hint of wariness. Solo smiled, and dropped a light kiss onto his head.

"I'll keep ya safe, Kiddo," he muttered. "And once ya begin workin', we better see 'bout a real name too, ne?"

Sleepy violet-blue eyes blinked open at the sound of his hushed voice. "Solo?"

"Don't worry, Kid. Sleep."

Kid lifted his hair and rubbed his cheek against it. "S'nice 'n' clean."

"Yeah. An' if'n ya begin's workin', yours'll be too."

"Really?"

"Fer sure. Sleep now."

"K, Solo."

Solo watched him fall back into his dreamland, knowing that any further words on his part would keep him awake longer. Once he was sure that Kid was sleeping soundly, as soundly as he ever did, the blond let his own eyes close and dozed himself.

Maybe once they had a proper lair he would be able to let himself sleep properly again.


	3. Saying Goodbye

As Duo parked the car and strolled up the lawn to the French windows at the rear of the house, he was accompanied by a soft flute and violin duet, the music of the two instruments coiling around each other in a complex melody. It said it all, without words. The tune was complete; there was no room for him here.

Duo slipped up to his room using the servant's stairs. He re-packed his duffle and filled his rucksack, placing items he no longer needed in a cardboard box he had picked up from the recycling bay near the kitchen – with so many servants and their families living on site, the Winners had apparently seen the need to have the house and grounds properly taken care of.

The cardboard box he left on his bed. There wasn't a whole lot there. Some explosives and electrical parts – he was keeping his gun. His priest's outfit and his tuxedo. One of Relena's hair ties, stolen as a joke. His old boots. A blue towel, burnt in an attack. A bottle of mentholated spirits. A book Wufei had lent him. The keys to a motorbike – he didn't know which one or what had happened to it.

He was keeping the spoils of his shopping trip, the clothes that Quatre had given him. The photographs taken at the ceremony declaring peace. The pack of cards he had found in a room at some school. His gun and lock picks, of course. Should he take his laptop?

No. If he was going to L2, there was no need of it. Besides, it was getting to be out of date, and the screen was cracked in one corner. The keyboard was sticky because of the time Heero had surprised him while he was tinkering with some parts, and he had knocked over the bottle of lubricant. The lid was scarred with blobs of melted soldier from the time he and Quatre had tried to fix Quatre's desktop.

The laptop went into the box with the other items, and Duo sat next to it on the bed, leaning on the closed lid as he wrote his goodbye note. He could still hear the music floating in through the open window.

_Hey guys,_

_I'm off, as I'm sure you've already guessed. You'll find you car at the shuttleport. I'll contact you when I find a place to settle, ok? But I need to do a few things, hopefully lay a couple of ghosts to rest._

_On a lighter note, I found some wacky models of our Gundams in the store today! Seriously, Q, you should think of getting Winner Corp to make some better ones. I'm sure they'll sell great as a novelty toy, especially as yours'll be more accurate than the crappy excuses for MS they're passing off as Gundams._

_Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself. If you're lucky, you'll get a vidcall in a few weeks. Until then, try not to keep the servants awake!_

_Ja!_

_Duo_

He left it on top of the box and packed the notebook and the pen into his rucksack. Now, all he needed to do was sneak out and get to the shuttleport. Oh, and grab his toothbrush. Would Q notice if he took the nice fluffy towel too?

Probably.

Oh well. His street instincts took over, and he found himself hurriedly folding the towel and wedging it into his duffle. His toothbrush went into the end pocket, next to the soap and shampoo. It was strange… he used to keep the C4 in that pocket…

Shaking his head to dispel the unwelcome memories, Duo shouldered the rucksack, grabbed the duffle and headed out the door. After all, he had to be ok. He had a towel with him, didn't he? (1)

The shuttleport was crowded. At least the queue for hops between colonies was shorter than the queue for the trips to Earth or the Moon. It was disconcerting to acknowledge that all his worldly possessions despite his shopping trip still only amounted to hand luggage. But then, he had never owned anything more than hand luggage. And a Gundam, but that was a little different.

It was strange, not piloting. If he had asked, Quatre would have let him borrow a shuttle. But that would have meant a whole load of fuss over him leaving. His knee was aching; time to break out the painkillers. Looks like those little bottles of water they give you on take off do come in useful for something. His neighbour was giving him funny looks, and Duo was tempted to shove the label, "co-codamol", in his face. Jerk.

The pilot was a good one. Smooth flying all the way, and no excess jets. But then, this was a commercial shuttle. Maybe they were on autopilot? No, his senses told him as they deviated slightly. He caught sight of the remains of a space mine floating outside his window. Of course, with all the debris littering space at the moment, the autopilot wouldn't be safe.

Duo stared out of the window, unconsciously twirling the end of his braid between his fingers. What if he had been the one to cause this debris? What if it were his fault that it was that much more dangerous for people to travel through space? The idea made him shudder.

"Hey," said his neighbour. "You all right, kid?"

The name took him back with a start. Solo had used to call him that. He managed a shaky grin. "My knee's playin' up a little, s'all."

His neighbour was a middle aged man, with graying curly hair and brown eyes. He looked concerned. "What did you do to it?"

"Aw, I just busted it up, no big deal."

"I hope you didn't get in a fight!" he was admonished.

"You sound like Sister Helen," he said without thinking. The man looked confused.

"Who's she?"

It was too late to back out now. "Uh, she was the nun who looked after me when I was a kid."

"A nun, huh? Bet she disapproved of fighting then. Are you a Christian?"

The man was cutting deeper and deeper with every sentence, but he didn't have a clue. Yes, Sister Helen disapproved of fighting, and she would have been horrified to see what he had become after her death. He let his cap shadow his eyes as he replied.

"No… I'm not a Christian. I tried, but I cannot believe that a God who loves everything and everyone would allow so much death."

The man nodded. "My wife said the same thing. I always tried to argue with her, but she was persistent. And she did have a point. I too found it hard to believe after our son was killed in the wars."

Duo felt cold ice spear through his stomach. "I'm sorry," he managed. "Uh, was it recently?"

"Not in the last battle, no."

"Was he stationed in space?"

"Yes. He was killed by OZ."

Duo felt relief sweep through him and was careful not to let it show. However, the old man must have managed to pick up on something, because he was suddenly looking at Duo very carefully.

"Were you a fighter?" he asked, dropping his voice slightly.

Trapped by the earnest gaze, Duo gave a slight nod. He didn't lie, and this man seemed like a pretty nice guy. Besides, the war was over, so why not?

"Which side?"

"I fought for the colonies." It was true, as far as sides went. Revenge, his true goal, was what he had fought for, but the freedom of the colonies was a close second. He didn't know quite when he began fighting for Peace rather than Freedom, but the others seemed to have gone along with Heero's driving goal, so he had followed.

Feeling uncomfortable with this chat with his neighbour, who seemed intent on stirring up old memories with every sentence, Duo faked a yawn.

"Sorry. Man I'm tired."

"The pills must be making you sleepy. Get some rest," the man advised.

Duo smiled at him and pulled his cap over his eyes, shutting out the lights from the cabin. He quickly fell into a light doze, ready to wake if anything changed.

dream

Heero grabbed tight onto his hand and dragged him out of the store, face like stone, blue eyes flashing lightening. Duo, jester mask firmly in place, pretended to be oblivious.

"But Heero! We didn't get any ice-cream!"

"The others will get it."

"But Tommy didn't tell them what kinds to get, he told me!" Duo protested. Heero's hand tightened around his fingers. Owch.

"Baka. You're injured, you should still be at the school."

"Aw, Heero, I didn't know you cared."

For a minute there, Duo thought that he was going to get away with it, but no. Heero crushed his heart yet again.

"I don't. I need you well in case we get a mission that needs your skills."

"Cold, so cold…" Duo wailed theatrically, covering up the real pain he felt with a comically tragic mask.

When they reached the dorm, he was unceremoniously dragged to their shared room and dumped onto his bed.

"Aw, Heero, aren't you even going to kiss it better?" he asked, working to keep a cheerful note in his voice.

Heero looked puzzled. "Kiss… it better?" he asked.

"Yeah. If you kiss something, it gets better quicker," Duo told him, grinning. Heero's skepticism was obvious, and Duo was amazed when Heero swiftly bent over and brushed dry lips first over his shoulder (the injured one that he hadn't been pulling him by) and then on the bruise on his forehead.

Duo sat there gaping. Had that really just happened?

But the next morning Heero had gone. And the next thing Duo heard, he had been moved to another school in another country, leaving Duo to explain why neither of them had been at the party the night before, and why there hadn't been any ice-cream.

…

He woke up in hospital, and the pain ripped through him like a pack of hungry wolves. As soon as a portion of his brain was free from coping with the hurt, the second volley came as memories attacked.

"Shit," he whispered, screwing up his face. Boys didn't cry. So what was this wet stuff on his face?

Something soft swiped across his cheek and he automatically opened his eyes. Shit, he was crying in front of Heero Yuy. Way to go, Maxwell. Waitaminute! Heero was… wiping his tears away?

How disgustingly sappy.  
"It's ok now, you're out of there. I got you out."

Somehow, it was what he needed to hear. And Heero was there, when he collapsed into his arms, sobbing. It was then that Duo realized that he was perhaps a little in love with the pilot called the 'Perfect Soldier'.

But once again, when he woke up the next morning, Heero had gone.

It was then that Duo decided to squash the fledgling feeling, because Heero could not be trusted. He would trust 01 to watch his back, to carry out his part in a mission and to get the job done if someone fucked up. But he couldn't trust him with anything more. Heero was messed up emotionally, and Duo was unstable enough himself without trying to prop up a partner that was perhaps even worse than he was.  
Now that that relationship was killed before it begun – good luck to Relena; even if she was a bitch, she was a mentally stable one. Although there was evidence to the contrary; she protected the guy who tried to kill her for fucks sake!

Duo wasn't like Relena. He couldn't throw his life away on a whim. If he was going to die, he was going to die for a cause, and take as many OZ bastards as he could with him.  
end dream

Duo woke with a start as the shuttle swerved off course, probably to avoid another remnant of a furious battle. Man, that dream had been a trip down memory lane. He raised his eyes and found his neighbour looking at him over the top of a cup of coffee.

"You sleep lightly."

Duo gave a non-committal grunt and fished around for his bottle of water to wash the fuzz out of his mouth. He had been asleep for about an hour.

"I've always been a light sleeper," he said once he felt a little more human.

"Dream any?"

"A little. How long have we got left?"

"We're about half way. There'll be food soon."

Duo pulled a face. "Oh goody. Well, I suppose it is going to be my last decent meal for a while, even if it is shuttle food."

His neighbour smiled. "It is notorious. What do you mean, last decent meal?"

Duo frowned. "Curiosity killed the cat," he retorted, using Sister Helen's favorite phrase.

The man immediately backed off, leaving Duo feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry, it's been a boring trip," the man apologised. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok."

"We could chat about something else if you like."

"Um, ok."

Duo spent the rest of the shuttle ride listening to stories about the other man's life. The food was, as predicted, awful. The company was slightly better. Just so long as he didn't get to the point where he was repeating himself, Duo could cope. Some of the stories were even kind of funny…

(1) yeah, I'm a hitchhiker's fan. So what? Shame on you if you did not get this reference. Someone tell me, are the authors comments good or not? Do they add or detract from the enjoyment of the fic?


	4. Sweepers

AC 180

"If anyone does anything that worries ya, tell Mickey."

"Who's dat?"

"The big guy behind the bar."

"Kay."

Solo was worried sick. The kid – Kitten, as he was now called – had been helping out backstage for a few weeks, but now Scar had decided that some extra servers for the dancers who dropped out to refresh themselves were needed. So Kid, along with two others, was working tables tonight.

"Solo?"

"Mmm?"

"Wha' will ya be doin'?"

"Uh… I fink I'm dancin' t'night."

"Kay."

"Don' ferget to call me Wolf."

"Kay. Don' fret, I'll be fine."

"Believe that when I see it."

Kitten giggled, and elbowed him in the side. "'Sides, ya said that this week we got 'nuff credits to fix up that lair."

"Yeah."

"Fink we c'n get some power cells ta cook on?"

"Mebbe once we're fixed up. Make sure ta keep ya tips safe."

"Kay."

That evening was sheer torture for Solo. Every time he went on stage his eyes searched out Kid in the crowd. The newly named 'Kitten' seemed happy enough, almost skipping from table to table. He was glad to see that Mickey had him behind the bar sipping on a glass of water when he wasn't needed. Kitten's brown hair was freshly washed and glinted bronze and gold in the lights of the club. He was forever playing with it, amazed at the feel of clean hair.

They slipped out together in the early hours of the morning, retreating to the fire-gutted building for the first time. They had stashed some papers and boxes in a dry corner that evening, and set up a few noisy traps at the bottom of the old fire escape – easily avoided by climbing onto a dumpster and walking along a wall to the second flight of steps.

"Quiet now," Solo whispered as they negotiated the maze of boards they had laid over the rafters, not trusting the original flooring.

"I knows."

The den was reached without incident, and they curled up together in the nest of dry paper. Kid tucked himself into Solo's arms, snuggling into his warmth.

"Sweet dreams," Solo whispered into the darkness. His only answer was a sleepy mumble as Kid dozed off.

xxx

Solo woke to the familiar hum of the solar panels turning, and tapped Kid lightly on the shoulder.

"Wakey wakey. We's goin' shoppin'."

Kid yawned, granting Solo with a face full of morning breath. "Wha' for?"

"Fer a big plastic bin ter catch rain in."

"Cool!"

"An we'll poke around da junk shops, mebbe get some cloth fer a blanket."

"Kay."

Kid uncurled himself and stretched. He wasn't as thin as he had been, since they could now get food almost every day. He was a far cry from the thin, straggly creature Solo had first found gagging on moldy bread in an alley. Solo had just managed to snatch an entire loaf, so decided to share his wealth, and so gain another body to guard his possessions while he was away from them. True, there wasn't a lot, but it was hard to steal food if you were already lugging an armful of apples or oranges.

Besides, Kid had the most unusual purple eyes. Just like his own.

The two orphans crept out of their lair, straightening ragged clothing as they did so. Their section of L2 was humming into life. Solo knew that some people followed the evening around the colony, stopping to rest only when the entire colony was in daylight. Those were the kind of people he tried to avoid.

"Solo?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's we goin'?"

"Ter find a sweepers yard."

"Whassat?"

"A big place full o'junk. Sweepers do ya fair prices. C'mon, it's a few blocks this way."

They darted their way through the early traffic, crossing and re-crossing the road 'just in case'. There weren't too many people out yet, but enough that they needed to dodge. No-one gave way for a streetrat.

"This is it."

"Cool!"

Kid's eyes were wide with amazement. It was an impressive sight. Towers of scrap loomed, casting half the street into shadow. Bathtubs, rusted cars, piping, scrap metal and even pieces of MS were stacked together in some order that Solo couldn't quite figure. He was pretty sure that there was method to be found in the madness, however, as this _was_ a sweeper yard.

There were several men moving purposefully about, and a guard on the gate. The guard sat up straighter as they approached and held up a hand. "Hey, there, sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you to go no further."

Solo moved closer to his little booth. "But we wanna buy something."

The guard raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"A big tub ta catch da rain in," Kid piped up. Solo noticed the guard's eyes soften as he looked at the hopeful expression on Kid's face.

"A big tub, huh? Well, I guess we've got a fair few of those around. Tell ya what, I'll get you a guide through the yards, to help you find what ya lookin' for."

"Thanks, man," Solo said gratefully. The guard nodded, and hit a blue button. Soon, another worker came over.

"What's up, old man? These two bothering you?"

"Shh up, you pest. These two want to buy something."

"Buy?"

"We've got credits," Solo growled, offended by the incredulous look on the guard's face.

"Tis ok, youngun, I'll deal with him," the guard said reassuringly. "You two go wait just over there, on the other side of the gate."

"Kay. Mister, can't _you_ show us round?" Kid asked.

The guard smiled. "I'll see if I can get this pest here to take my place for ten minutes. Now, run along."

Solo grabbed Kid's warm hand and pulled him over to where the gate guard had indicated. They watched the two Sweepers talking, with much gesturing, but no raised voices. The guard seemed to win, as the younger man's shoulders slumped, and he climbed into the guard's seat. The guard walked over to them, smiling.

"Ok. Now, a big tub."

"Yeah."

"Bath sized? Metal or plastic?"

"I need ta be able to carry it."

"Plastic then."

"Be nice ifn we could wash in it, Solo."

"Yeah, but we gots to drink outta it, Kiddo."

"I don't see why you don't get two," the guard suggested.

"Two?"

"Yes, two. One for drinking and the other for washing. Or, one as a storage, and a smaller for washing or drinking, whatever it's needed for."

"Yay, can we, Solo? I c'n carry it back."

"I dunno if we'll have the credits. We wanna get a blanket too, remember?"

"Y'know, boys, the prices aren't fixed. You can haggle. An' we have blankets 'ere too. Maybe we can find ya one of those too."

"Cool!"

"Thanks, Mister."

They were led though the towering piles of scrap. Solo thought that he could probably find his way back if he had to, but he wasn't sure. It was disconcerting. The guard stopped by a pile that seemed to be mostly plastic, and started to sort though it.

"What are you waiting for? There should be something in here that will suit."

Solo shrugged and starting sorting. Kid was too small to be of much use lifting things, so he stacked the possibilities in a smaller pile to one side.

"Hm, we've found a fair few here. Are any of them ok?"

"The dustbin would be ok, the small green one."

"Yeah! And this one for washin'."

"That's a little big, kiddo. I doubt we'd get that much water."

"Aww, but it's a pretty blue. Like your costume."

The guard stiffened. "Costume?"

Solo glared. "I dance an' wait tables. I can't do that wearing rags, can I?"

The guard held up his hands. "Sorry. I'm real sorry."

Kid was blinking up at them in confusion. Solo bent down and gave him a hug. "Don' worry 'bout it, Kiddo. Let's pick out another one, kay?"

"Kay. Dat one," Kid said, pointing to a bucket.

"Ooh, that'll work. Good job. Now, Mister, you said that there was blankets here?"

"This way. Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"How come you talk better to me than you do to him?"

"Street talk is what we know. I talk posh for grown-ups."

"Ok. We keep the fabric inside, come on in."

They had approached a long, low white building, with smaller stacks of _stuff_ piled on the roof. The guard was motioning them though a small door. Solo took a deep breath and followed Kid inside. After all, he hadn't tried to kill them yet.

He found himself in a room full of tables, all piled high with folded fabric and baskets of scraps. They seemed to be sorted by wear, rather than by thickness or colour. Although, it seemed like the thickest were to be found at the bottom of the piles.

"Search away, kids."

"There's so many!" Kid exclaimed, running a grubby finger over a worn towel.

"We're looking for something warm, and fairly big," Solo told the guard.

"Colour important?"

"Nothing too bright. Grey or brown would be best. Maybe a dark blue or green."

"I wanna black one!" Kid demanded, sticking his bottom lip out.

"You sure, Kiddo?"

"Yeah, Solo, a black one."

The guard smiled. "I'll see what I can find. There's plenty of black cloth. Do holes matter?"

"We don't have the credits for something that's too good."

The guard poked at the piles for a while, then pulled out a black bedcover. "How about this?"

Solo felt the fabric. It was soft, and not all that thick, but doubled over he thought that it would work all right. It looked rather big, they might be able to get three or four layers out of it. "How much?"

They haggled for a while, and settled on a price that was fair, considering the tear in the bed cover and the cracks and chips in the rims of the containers. Solo gave Kid the bucket and placed the cover into the bin, which he hoisted onto his shoulder. The guard waved them out of the gate, before turfing the unfriendly man out of his seat and settling down to guard.

"Solo?"

"Hm?"

"We neva asked 'is name."

"No, we didn'. Neva mind, we might see 'im again."

"Kay."

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd betta start teachin' ya 'ow to speak proper, fer when ya work."

"Aw, Solo, do I 'ave ta?"

"Yeah. So, it's 'have' not ''ave'."

"Have."

"That's it. Now, after me: 'May I take your order, please?'"

"May I take ya order, please?"

"Your order."

"Your order."

"That's better."

Kid grinned up at him, swinging the bucket. "Isn't that bin heavy?"

"I'm ok. And well done for saying that proper."

"S'not too hard. Just slow."

"We'll make a gentleman of ya yet."

"Don' wanna be a gentleman."

They slid into the alleyway as inconspicuously as possible. Solo sent Kid across the fence, then passed up the bin, bucket and blanket before clambering up the side of the dumpster himself. They set everything inside the bin and took a side each as they navigated the rest of the stairs and the boards.

Finally they reached their corner, and Solo placed the bin under the edge of the roof, where it dipped down. He'd noticed the rain pouring off of that corner last time the weather people had turned it on. The bucket was placed on the other side, where there was also a drip, just not as big a one.

Kid was fussing with the bedcover. "What's wrong?" Solo asked, moving over to him.

"Somethin' else in 'ere…" Kid muttered.

"What?"

"'S too heavy in that corner."

Solo stuck his head into the hole at the end, and fished around. He found something balled up, and pulled it out. "Here we go."

"What is it?"

"Pillowcases," Solo muttered, shaking them out. "Two."

"What's a pillow?"

"Don' worry. Here, you can wear this. Where's the knife?"

Kid passed it to him. "Strip off."

"Wha?"

"Take off ya shirt."

"Kay."

Solo carefully ripped a hole in the pillowcase, at the other end to the opening. He shoved it over Kid's head, and carefully pulled his hair through.. "Hold still while I cut spaces for yer arms."

Kid immediately froze. The knife spilt the old fabric easily, and soon Kid was wearing a new shirt. Solo got to work on the other one for himself.

"Ya think he knew?"

"Hm?"

"Dat guard. Think he knew dat the things were in 'ere?"

"What happened to speakin' proper? And I dunno. He was a good man. Mebbe he wanted to help us out."

"Kay."

"Come, now, we need to get some food in."

"We got enough to buy stuff?"

"I can buy bread 'n' some tins. See if ya can nick some fruit. Be careful though, no risks! Even if ya come back wiv nuffin, we'll be eatin'. Kay?"

"Kay."

"Now, let's go."


	5. Returning to L2

(AN: I just realized that I didn't put a date on the last "present day" chapter. Damn, now I need to figure out what it is!)

AC 196

Shuttle ports were all the same, full of queues and screaming children. He got strange looks from officials going through the port, and was eventually pulled aside.

"Uh, Sir?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh, your ID," the worker, a thin man with short black hair said, smiling nervously. Duo wasn't sure if the nervousness was due to him or part of the man's natural disposition.

"It's recent, I know."

"Oh, that's fine; a lot of people's documentation was destroyed in the war."

"Then what's the problem?"

"You don't have any extra details, other than your stats and the fact that you exist. It's the policy to offer you the opportunity of amending that. If you want."

"Amending?"

"Yes, sir."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Duo asked, completely confused.

"Well, you have no contact details. No next of kin. No place of origin," the man pointed out, twisting a ring on his finger.

"Oh! Uh, sure, if you have a database or something, I can add those."

He was guided to a terminal behind a nearby desk, and the worker pulled up the program needed. Duo slid himself behind the keyboard and began to type with a speed that had the man's jaw drop.

It wasn't hard, he just left the fields that he didn't feel like answering. For a contact number he put Quatre's office. If it was a legitimate call, they would forward it to his phone. In the field marked 'next of kin' he quickly filled out the names of all of the other ex-pilots. He named L2 as his place of origin and marked himself down as an organ donor. He added in his blood type for good measure.

"Uh, you type very fast."

"Mmm. I'm done."

"Uh, you haven't filled in an address."

Duo gave the man an assessing glance, but he appeared to have no ulterior motive. "I don't currently have one, and the last place I was living in, um, the inhabitants probably wouldn't thank me for splashing their address everywhere."

"Oh, um, ok."

"Is that everywhere?" Duo asked, letting just a hint of Shinigami into his smile. He had spent far too much time in this place, and he wanted to find a hotel and some food.

"Yes, of course, Sir."

"Have a good one."

"Uh, thank you sir."

Duo left the shuttleport with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Ahhh, L2. The familiar smells of garbage and wet pavement. The weather system permanently set on "warm with occasional drizzle". The people walking by with worn clothes and tired expressions. The cheerful children playing in the street.

Whistling an old Earth tune, Duo sauntered into the first arms shop he saw and began looking over their collection of knives. His ceramic lock picks had come through customs with him, and his gun was in his duffle, next to his hastily issued gun license, as the government realized that there was no way that any of the pilots would be going anywhere unarmed, and letting them do it legally would save them more paperwork in the long run. Of course, it helped that they had all put their names down on the Preventer's 'call if absolute emergency' list and so Une had managed to smooth the way after a stupid guard had tried to take Heero's gun away from him.

The shop had a nice storm sheath knife, 14cm blade with a nylon sheath and a compartment in the handle. The 'tanto' style knife next to it also caught his attention. Well, this was L2. You can never have too many knives. And his gun could probably do with some more ammo too…

Duo wasn't sure why he was gearing himself up. He didn't intend to fight. Of course, he knew from experience that intentions rarely counted for anything. Was he intending a trip to the slums? The war pension that the government (read: Relena) had given to all five pilots was enough for him to live reasonably comfortably in L2, even if it wouldn't have supported a stray kitten elsewhere in the UN.

Plus he had all those hacked OZ funds. Ooh, laptop. Will need a new one of those. Duo paid for the knives and a few clips of ammo, before whistling his way out. He passed a computer store, but didn't go in; expensive equipment could wait for a time when he had a base to move out of. There was no point buying something without being sure that you'd have the power to run it or the ability to keep it safe – without lugging it around with you, which could sometimes be the most hazardous course of action after all. Fights and laptops didn't mix well, almost as badly as beer and keyboards.

Now, a motel for the night? A hotel? B&B? Rent an apartment? Find a homeless shelter? Cardboard box? The periodic drizzle had started, and he really didn't feel like searching in dumpsters. Maybe under a bridge? Duo found his feet leading him down old familiar alleyways, until he stood in front of an old burnt out building.

Old ghosts stopped him from going up.

Duo stood, getting steadily soggier, until the drizzle stopped. He didn't dare go any further; the ruins of Maxwell Church were three blocks hubside.

He had passed a run down hotel on his way there. Duo backtracked and pushed open the creaky door. The air inside was cool and dry.

"Uh, hello?" he called into the silence.

"Just a moment, dear!" came a cheery voice from somewhere in the back. A few minutes later, a diminutive woman with curly white hair bustled into view, carrying a pair of scissors. He could see knitting needles poking out of her apron pocket. She smiled at him. "What can I do for you? I see you got caught in the rain."

"Um, have you got any vacancies?"

"Why, yes we do! There's one on the first floor, or the attic's open to renting."

"What do you mean?"

The lady looked a little sad. "I had a nice young man living there, and he would help me fix this old place up a little in exchange for my cooking. But he left, he was saving to go to L3, and he finally made it. The basement is where I live, and the floors between the attic and basement are for guests."

Duo was a little suspicious. Opportunities like this did not just drop into people's laps. The old lady peered into his face and laughed.

"I know, I know, you're thinking 'this is too good to be true; where is she hiding the gun?' Aren't you?"

Duo smiled sheepishly. "Uh, yes."

"I wouldn't have offered, only I recognised you."

Duo stiffened. Crap! She knew that he was a Gundam pilot!

"You had a voice like a little angel! And I know that Sister Helen was so proud of you," the lady continued, one hand going to the cross hanging around her neck.

Stop the colony! I want to get off! Duo suddenly felt extremely slow and stupid. Why was it so hard to think? "Sister… Sister Helen?"

"Yes. You're Duo, aren't you?"

"Yes… you remember me?"

"Of course I do! I used to bake cakes and cookies for you children, don't you remember? Well, I don't expect you do, you were rather young."

Duo shook his head slowly. "No… I do remember now. Thank you."

"So, will you take the room or the attic?"

"…attic?"

"Wonderful! I'll show you the way. We can discuss rent tomorrow. I'm sure you're tired, and there's stew on the stove. Unless you've already eaten?"

"Um, no, no I haven't."

"All right, we'll get you fed up! This way."

She led him up four flights of stairs to a long room with an oddly shaped ceiling. The floors were wooden and the walls faded up from blue to white. There were skylights rather than windows, and the light switch turned on wall lights rather than a main light.

"I'm afraid there isn't all that much furniture."

"That's all right."

A door at the far end he guessed led to a bathroom, and there was a small kitchen unit next to the entrance, with a counter, a sink, a small fridge-freezer and a two ring gas cooker. The main area of the room had a blue sofa and a coffee table. There were some bare shelves over the sofa and a twin bed in one corner. The other was taken up by more cupboards.

"There's a kettle in one of the cupboards in the kitchenette. I think there are still sheets in that cupboard over there. Bathroom's through the back door there, would you like to see that too?"

"Uh, ok."

"Go on then!" she said with a laugh, pushing him a little. "I'll make the bed for you."

The bathroom was all blue, with white and silver fixings. Technically it wasn't a _bath_room, as there was a shower instead of a bath but Duo decided to let that slide. He returned to the main room and kicked the duffle under the bed. The rucksack went onto the coffee table. His host was waiting for him by the door to the stairs.

"Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes please. Um, what is your name?"

"Rosemary Evans. Don't call me Mrs. Evans whatever you do!"

"Thanks for the room. It's great."

Duo woke with a start in the early hours of the morning. The room was dark, with shafts of light falling down from the skylights. The area around the bed was highlighted by the illumination of the moon. The window directly over the bed was in line with one of the colony windows, and he could see the stars.

"I suppose I should be grateful that I cannot see the moon," he muttered into the silence.

Tugging the blankets up to his chin, he stared into space, toying with the idea of moving the bed so that the light would no longer bother him. But he was a soldier, he could sleep through anything, and the view wasn't so bad. Neither was waking up at 'dawn', when the huge solar panels moved and the inside of the colony was flooded with the light of the sun.

It was no use, he had slept his quota and now he was wide awake. Duo climbed out of bed and tugged on a pair of jeans. The middle skylight looked climbable… it opened easily, sliding further up the slight incline of the roof, and the ledge was just within his reach. He pulled himself out easily, and sat on the tiles, staring at the lights of the colony. The area to his right was sleeping peacefully, but to his left he could see the burnt out building he had lived in with Solo and the gang. The streets there were painted with neon, garish and flashy. He could see people moving through gaps in the buildings. And there was one building that drew the eyes… blue searchlights lighting the front and the rear in shadow.

Blue Lightening.

(AN: ok, there are a few discrepancies between the Prologue and the 'past' chapters. But I figure that Duo wouldn't have remembered everything straight away, it had been more than half a decade. This chapter is kinda short, sorry! I'll try to make the next one longer. Please review, it encourages me to write!)


	6. Blue Lightening

AC 196

Once the solar panels had swung and light flooded over the rooftops, Duo slipped back inside the skylight and pulled it shut. He dragged out the duffle and rummaged around for soap and shampoo, remembering to grab Quatre's towel and his hairbrush at the last minute. The shower controls poised no mystery to someone who had piloted a Gundam, and he was soon massaging shampoo through his long hair and hoping that a flushed toilet elsewhere in the house would not boil him alive or freeze him to death.

The phone rang as he was brushing his hair, making him jump and fall instinctively into a crouch. His knee screamed in protest, and the muscles in his thighs weren't too happy with him either. After a second, he guessed that it was Rosemary, calling him about breakfast.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Duo!"

"Good morning."

"I hope I didn't wake you?"

"No, no, I was awake."

"Good. I thought it was your shower but I wasn't positive."

"That was mine."

"Well, I was wondering what you would like for breakfast. Do you like eggs?"

"I eat pretty much anything."

"No favorites?"

Duo tried to think, but he usually just ate ration bars, leftovers or toast for breakfast, and he had the feeling that she wanted something more than that. "Surprise me?"

"All right then, come down in about 15 minutes."

"Sure. Thank you."

"It's no problem! See you soon!"

"Bye."

Duo set the phone on the hook by the door, and then resumed brushing his hair. His knee was throbbing, and he knew that he'd have to dig out his painkillers if he wanted to hide the injury from Rosemary.

Breakfast turned out to be porridge and toast. Rosemary smiled at his disgruntled expression.

"It's not what you think. Try a spoonful."

Duo shrugged and sat down. The porridge was... faintly brown? And it had little lumps in it. What the? Oh well, it couldn't be worse than moldy bread or ration bars.

Rosemary laughed at the dumbfounded expression that crossed his face after he took a bite. "There's cinnamon, dried fruit and honey in that," she told him.

"It's great!"

"Dig in. What do you like on your toast?"

Duo paused in his scooping. "Um… I've never really had much but strawberry jam on toast."

"Ever had blackcurrant?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, I shall have to remedy that. There are many things that go well with toast, and strawberry jam is merely one of them."

Duo nodded, and turned back to his porridge, watching out of the corner of his eye as she placed slices of bread in the toaster.

"What did you plan on doing today?"

"Errands, mostly. I need to get a computer. I thought I might visit the scrap yards, see if any old friends are hanging around. Is there anything you'd like me to get for you?"

"If you see any rugs that are in fairly good condition, I'm trying to replace some worn ones. And if you could get me some light bulbs, please. Get receipts if you can, and I'll deduct it from your rent."

"All right. Light bulbs and rugs. 40? 60?"

"40, if you can."

"Sure. Is there anything that needs doing around the house?"

"The sink in room 4 is leaky."

"I'll take a look at it before I go."

"Thank you, Duo."

"It's no problem."

"Were you planning on looking for a job?"

"Well, I've sort of already got one, but I need the computer."

Rosemary smiled. "Am I allowed to ask what?"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He waited a beat, and then they both laughed. "Actually, I'm a consultant. Or going to be."

"All right."

"Do you have a toolkit?"

It hadn't been a lie. Preventers would be ecstatic to have a Gundam Pilot's take on things, and he was fairly sure that they would like to keep tabs on him. Being in regular contact with them would save him from being tailed by the 'good guys'. He was paranoid enough already. Also, he could count on Preventers to keep his whereabouts discreet.

As he used a spanner (wrench, for you Americans) to tighten the pipes under the leaky sink, he wondered if there was a Preventers branch in L2 yet, or if they just had a representative in the local police station.

Rosemary smiled at him when he finished. "Will you be back for lunch?"

"I don't think so."

"Dinner?"

"Yes."

"Is seven all right? And do you have any preferences?"

"Seven is fine, and I don't really mind."

"All right. Have fun while you're out."

"Thanks! Take care, see you later!"

The air outside was moist; it looked like he had just missed a shower. Duo stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacked and walked off in search of a computer store. It shouldn't be too hard to find one, he just had to walk rimwards, towards the richer area of town.

As he looked around the electronics store, Duo immediately decided that he wouldn't buy one of the so called 'package deals' if the store owner offered him money. Instead, he headed to the spare parts section, and began picking hardware off of the shelves. The store clerks tried to hover, but a few well placed glares sent them scurrying off. Hm, looks like Heero had taught him something after all.

His arms full of computer parts and cabling, Duo walked to the main desk, and smiled at the attendant. "Hi. I need a case, monitor, keyboard and mouse. And can I leave this stuff here while I get them?"

"Um, certainly, Sir. The external hardware is closer to the entrance, to your left."

"Thank you very much."

Duo peered at the rows of monitors, before selecting a plain flat screen one. He also picked the dullest case, keyboard and mouse he could see. If the computer looked crap on the outside, people would assume that it was crap. He grabbed a few disks of software on his way back to the till, and a stack of disks.

The attendant looked at him in surprise, but rung up all his purchases without a fuss. Duo paid with his 'OZ funds' account, scribbling down his fake signature with a flourish. "Can I get this sent to my apartment?"

"Certainly, sir. May I have the address?"

Duo rattled it off, repeated it, smiled disarmingly and walked out of the door. He could practically hear the sigh of relief as he left.

Terrorising shop workers aside, Duo had things to do. Well, one thing. A visit. A visit he really didn't want to make, but he refused to be scared to go anywhere. Taboo areas were not good things if you were being chased. So Duo took a deep breath, tossed his braid over his shoulder so that it landed with a solid 'thunk!' on his back and began to walk hubwards, towards what had once been called 'Maxwell Church'.

There were people wandering the streets, but not many. It wasn't all that early… Duo realised with a start that he didn't know what day of the week it was. He paused by a newspaper stand to check. Friday. Friday night… that was always a good night.

Wait a minute… was he planning on going back?

Duo thought carefully, and realised that he was. That he had to. There were old ghosts to be put to rest before he could make L2 his home again. He'd have to go shopping after his …visiting. None of his clothes would do if he went clubbing… hm. Actually, those new jeans hugged his arse nicely, and he hadn't had a chance to wear the dragon shirt yet. Make-up and jewellery, however. He'd need some of that. Silver, because gold was just tacky.

Duo lifted his eyes to the end of the street, and chocked back a gasp. The burnt out wreck had gone. In its place was a little garden, what looked like an extension of Sister Helen's. The statue of Mary was still there, surrounded by fire-scarred masonry. And the cross, Father Maxwell's pride and joy was still there. Benches lined the remnants of the old carved flagstones that led to it.

"Beautiful."

Slowly, Duo walked towards it, half expecting it to disappear like some sort of mirage. Some of the larger pieces of wreckage were still there, as a testimony to what had happened, but even those were wreathed in leaves and flowers. He ended up standing before the cross, with his hands clasped to his chest, exactly the way he had used to while repenting.

It still towered over him, even if he was sure that it was a little bit smaller.

A rustling in the bushes caused him to drop warily into a fighting stance, this time favoring his knee. After a few seconds, an old lady trotted out, shears in one hand and a bucket full of dead flowers and weeds in the other. The ex-pilot relaxed and stood up again.

"Oh! I didn't expect anyone to be here this time o' day!"

"Sorry?"

"No, no, no, my dear, don't be sorry. This garden is for everyone." She peered at him. "Are you new here?"

Duo shook his head. "I've been away for a long time."

She tutted at him. "Well, I expect your version of a long time and mine are different. Did you know that this used to be a church?"

"Yes."

"Oh." She paused a minute. "Maybe it was a pretty long time you were away then."

Duo smiled at her, then turned to look up at the cross. He was not expecting her to shriek and grab for his braid.

"What the-!"

"Duo! You're Duo, aren't you! You're back! Where have you been, young man? You just vanished! Into thin air! Do you still sing?"

Stupefied, Duo blinked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Oh never mind. You're all right, that's what matters. And so grown up! I almost didn't recognise you, if it hadn't been for that braid of yours."

As she continued to talk at him, Duo wondered if living in this area was such a great idea after all. At least when he had visited the scrap yards during the war, they had been the ones on the other side, and no-one had known him.

Speaking of scrap yards, he had wanted to visit sweepers. Now, how to end this conversation? She looked like she was set in to talk and reminisce for the duration.

x

At first glance, the yards seemed deserted. A closer look revealed men perched in various piles of scrap, relaxing and eating lunch. The shuttles back to his area left every ten minutes, so he could stay as long as he wanted. The express was on the hour, but he wasn't too fussed with time.

The trouble with scrap yards, Duo reflected, after having to ask directions for the third time, was that they were all mazes. Finding one person, or one group in a sea of scrap metal and spare parts was defiantly not his favorite past time.

Luckily, he was recognised at the gate, and someone send off for Howard.

"Hey there, Duo! I didn't know you were coming back here!"

"Here is home," Duo said simply, accepting a hug. Howard was decked out in a neon yellow, green and pink shirt with what looked like palm trees and fish on it. His trademark sunglasses were perched, as always, on his nose.

"Too damn right! Where are you holed up?"

"Found me a little apartment over a hotel. The landlady recognises me from when I was little."

Howard smiled, genuinely happy for him, and asked him no questions. Duo felt himself relaxing into the companionable atmosphere, and grinned back.

"Want some coffee, kid?"

"Sure. And don't call me kid."

"I'm old enough to be your granddad; I can call you anything I like!"

"You just keep on telling yourself that."

x

Duo got off of the shuttle a stop early, so that he could wander past the shops as he walked back to his apartment. He decided to buy from the street vendors, rather than wade through the shops. It was an effort to remember that he had money, and so didn't need to steal anything anymore.

He decided to go for understated, a simple silver chain around one wrist, and a black sweatband around the other – it hid the handcuff scars. He got one ear pierced, sending a silent apology up to Sister Helen as he did so, and decided that the plain pewter stud would do until it healed. Maybe he could fashion an earring out of Gundanium, Howard probably still had some of Deathscythe's spare parts.

Sister Helen's cross was silver already.

He saw a shop selling light bulbs, and slipped in to get a pack for Rosemary. The sales girl, a pretty slip of a thing in her late teens, tried flirting with him. The effort made him smile, but he complimented her on her eyes and walked out leaving her blushing. Duo suddenly realised that he had forgotten to ask Howard about rugs. Oh well, he could ask next visit, he supposed.

He slipped into the hotel foyer, and decided to head for Rosemary's basement first. It was 6.45; maybe he could help with the end of dinner or something.

"Duo! There you are. Feel like setting the table?"

"All right. Here are your light bulbs."

"Oh, thank you! The plates are in there, cutlery in the drawer above."

"What are we having?"

"Spaghetti bolognaise, so put out spoons too."

Duo did as he was told, wondering all the while what spaghetti bolognaise actually was. Spaghetti was the long round stuff that Quatre liked, right? And as for bolognaise… it didn't sound English. The smell in the kitchen was wonderful, however.

Almost as soon as he was finished laying the table, Rosemary was carrying pots to it and asking him to grab a serving spoon from the counter.

Bolognaise turned out to be some sort of meat and tomato sauce that smelt divine. Duo watched carefully as Rosemary twirled strands of spaghetti around her fork, keeping them on the prongs by using her spoon as a pivot. He copied her, and found that the concoction tasted as good as it smelt.

"Do you like it?" Rosemary asked him.

"It's really good. I don't think I've ever had this before."

"Never had spaghetti bolognaise? You poor, poor, deprived child."

Duo smiled at her, and twirled himself another mouthful. "Well, I have now."

"Have you got any plans for this evening?"

"I was going to go unpack a little, and then maybe go out and see if I could meet any new friends. My computer isn't arriving until tomorrow, so I can't do any work.

"You be careful."

"I will."

Once he was back in the privacy of his own room, Duo started to get ready. He undid his hair and brushed it out, before separating two sections at the front, and then braiding the rest, stopping about half way down his back. The two front sections he braided for a few turns, and then tied off, leaving the rest to spill down his shoulders.

He pulled off his t-shirt, deciding to wear just the dragon shirt, as it would be hot in the club. He was already wearing his boots and jeans, so he headed into the bathroom to apply the make-up he had bought.

Ten minutes later he was locking the door, eyes lined in dark purple and a sprinkle of glitter on his upper lids. He had a tube of cherry lipbalm in his jacket pocket, which he applied while making his way down the stairs.

Blue Lightening was not too far away. He headed for the blue searchlights, instinctively staying in the shadows and hugging the walls while maintaining a casual, confident stride. He hoped that everyone would get the message and leave him alone. If they didn't… well, it wasn't like he was unarmed.

He didn't recognise the bouncers, but one of the workers walking up and down the line waved him in almost immediately. A wave of sound hit him as he entered, the deep bass shaking the floor. A mess of bodies gyrated near the stage, which was currently occupied by a trio of dancers. Scantily clad bodies swung around poles, and the bar had been extended. There were three bartenders now, but Duo could see the large silhouette of a man who could only be Mickey. It looked like the club had been extended too, there was now room for tables as well as a dance floor. Duo went to the bar, and the girl serving smiled at him.

"Hey gorgeous!" she shouted over the music. "What can I get you?"

"Vodka and coke!" Duo shouted back, deciding to start off light. It probably wouldn't be a good thing to have a drunk terrorist raging in a L2 club. Bad for business. The barmaid, a tall brunette with a lightening strike drawn down one cheek, passed him his drink and swept the credits he offered her into the till. She handed him his change, and immediately turned to the next customer.

Duo sauntered towards the tables, hoping to find an empty seat. He froze and his gaze snapped to the stage as the club went dark and spotlights highlighted the blue curtains. A jaunty drumbeat sounded into the sudden silence. Then a guitar riff wove through the smoky air, quickly followed by… a trumpet? Simultaneously, the curtains were swept aside, and a slim figure with long blond hair stepped onto the stage. A male voice, gorgeously husky, started to sing.

"Man it's a hot one, like seven inches from the midday sun…"

Violet eyes opened wide.

(A/N: Kudos to anyone who can tell me whose hairstyle Duo's is based on!)


	7. Blue Lightening II

(A/N: sighs no-one's got it… Kazuki from Getbackers, you anime deprived people! I seem to have a thing for the Bishies with long hair… Legolas… would I have Duo looking like an elf when he could look like a cute ex-gang leader who goes around strangling people? Uh… Don't answer that one. ;;

Ok, Renata-sama on came up with a valid point. Solo is five or six years older than Duo. Yes, he was underage when he first started working at the club, but at first he was only helping out backstage, as Duo did when he was younger. He was probably underage when he started dancing, but neither of them know how old they are.)

AC 196 (still)

Solo waited patiently behind the curtain, resisting the urge to peek out at the crowd. Stanna had said that it looked good tonight, so Scar had determined that he was to give a really good performance, without 'showing them anything'. Solo sighed. How the fuck was he supposed to do that!

The music faded out; that was his cue. He switched on his headset, making sure the microphone lead ran cleanly from his ear to the corner of his mouth, and prepared to make his entrance. Life at Blue Lightening had got a lot better since Scar won that bet and had started to make more money.

He stepped onto the stage, head bowed to avoid being blinded by the spotlights, and struck a subtle pose.

"Man it's a hot one, like seven inches from the midday sun…" he raised his head slowly, and started to move to the beat.

"I hear your whisper and your words melt everyone… but you stay so cool."

It was one of the better songs to dance to, he thought as he gyrated, his gaze skimming over the faceless people in the crowd

"My mu equita, my spanish harlem mona lisa," he still didn't have a clue what that meant. Scar had read out the words to him until he could pronounce them properly, but Solo suspected that he didn't know what a 'mu equita' was either. "You're my reason for reason… The step in my groove!"

He spun down onto his knees, and lifted a hand to the audience. One of the dancers for the club took it and allowed him to pull her up onto the stage. He grinned at her and she winked back before starting to dance around him. "And if you said; this life ain't good enough, I would give my world-" he grabbed his new partner around the waist and swung her high into the air, where he felt more than saw her strike a pose "to lift you up-" he set her safely down again and they circled each other "I can change my life, to better suit your mood," she draped herself against him and he ran a hand down her side as he sung the last line of the bridge. "Cause you're so smooth…"

He took centre stage as the dancer went to the edge to pull up another. He knew that they would dance behind him during the chorus, so he focused on his own moves. "And it's just like the ocean, under the moon, well that's the same emotion that I get from you," suddenly he had a girl at each hip, "you got the kinda loving that can be so smooth-" he looked at the first dancer "give me your heart" then spun to look at the other "make it real" before gently pushing them both aside "or else forget about it!"

x

Duo stood, staring at the stage, dumbstruck. Solo could sing! Kept on going around his head, and he couldn't remember if the blond had been attractive when he was a kid, but he was certainly hot now.

Slowly, the ex-pilot moved to an empty table and stared at his old friend for the duration of the act. He knew that he couldn't go talk to Solo now; if the blond wasn't working, it would probably mean a pay cut. Unless… perhaps Duo could buy him for the night? Only he didn't know if Solo was selling. He'd only ever done that twice, both times were when times were really hard, and he'd been miserable for weeks afterwards.

No, he'd finish his drink, maybe dance a little, and then go and see if he could talk to Scar.

He paused, glass halfway to his lips as another thought intruded. Waitaminute – wasn't Solo supposed to be _dead_!

"You alright, sweetie?" a concerned female voice asked.

"M'fine," he absently replied.

"Ok. Only the weirdest set o'expressions just crossed ya face."

"S'nothing."

"If you say so, sweetie."

He tore his glance from the stage to look at he properly. She was in her early 20's from the look of it, and had red curly hair that draped across her shoulders in glittery curls. In fact, she was so covered in glitter that he wouldn't be surprised to see that she left a trail when she walked.

"You working?"

"Yeah. Checkin' to see if all the customers are happy."

"Does Scar still do the thing where he gives ya each a table to wait?"

"Fer groups 'e does," she said, slipping into a street drawl. "Ya bin 'ere before then? I don' know ya."

"Bin a bit," Duo replied with a shrug, sipping his drink.

"'Ow long?"

"'Bout… four, five years now."

"Really? Where ya bin?"

"Earth, mostly."

"Earth! Wot the 'ell didya come back t' this dump fer?" she all but shrieked.

"Street rats from L2 dun belong on Earth," he told her. "Home's here."

She nodded, and then smiled at him. "Ya was lookin' at Wolf. Ol' buddy o' yours?"

"Yeah, summin like that."

She frowned at him suddenly, then reached forward and messed up his hair a little, before reeling back in shock. "Hells… you're Kitten, ain't ya?"

Hesitantly, Duo nodded, the name ringing a half forgotten chord in his mind.

"Fuck. Wolf ain't been the same since you left. I fink 'e figured ya'd died. Come on, we'll go backstage."

The glitter-covered worker – he found out later her name was Stanna – led him through one of the security doors at the side, near the washrooms. He found himself in a plain, breezeblock and steel corridor which seemed strangely familiar. He was whisked past closed doors, his sensitive hearing picking up snatches of conversation as they went. Finally, they screeched to a halt in front of a door with a large dent in the middle. Stanna tapped once.

"Wolf? Ya there?"

"Yeah. Come in, Stanna."

"I got another."

"Customer? Gimmie a minute…"

"No, it's a friend."

There was a bitter laugh. "I ain't got none o'those. It's open."

Stanna pushed the door open, and motioned Duo to go in. Inside was a small room, lit with fairy lights. There was a medium sized bed in one corner, a wardrobe with various outfits spilling out of it and a desk with a mirror over it, not much else. Another door, ajar, led to a tiny bathroom.

Solo was sitting at the desk, running a brush through his hair. "Ya stickin', glitter-girl?" he asked without turning around.

"Naw, I fink ya have some talkin' t'do. I'll tell Scar. See ya."

Duo took a deep breath as the door closed behind her. "Hey, Solo."

"Wha-" the chair crashed to the ground as Solo stood up hurriedly. Neither took any notice of it. "Kid!" Solo asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"Fuck me sideways with a chainsaw!"

Duo grinned. "That's a new one."

"Where the fuck have you been? I thought you were dead!"

"Earth. And I thought you were! You fucking died in my arms, you asshole."

"Scar picked me up."

Duo looked around, fighting the temptation to scuff one foot against the floor like a nervous schoolboy. Solo grabbed a hairband and tied his hair back into a ponytail. It fell to his hips, and Duo wondered if he ever sat on it. His own braid was getting long enough for that to be a problem.

"This your own place? Cosy."

"Yeah. I worked t' pay off the bill. An' now I ain't got no-where else t' go."

Duo took a hesitant step forward. Solo smiled at him, and opened his arms, seeming to know exactly what Duo needed. "Missed ya, kiddo."

"Missed you too," Duo replied, the words half muffled in Solo's loose hair.

"Earth, ya said? How the hell did ya end up there?

"Long story."

"I think we got time."

"Ok. Can we sit?"

"Sure."

Solo swept some clothes off of the bed and sat against the wall, one knee bent. Duo slotted himself in sideways, just as he had when he was smaller. "Ok. After you…went, we got taken in by Maxwell Church. Then the Alliance bombed it. I was outside, gettin' a suit for the rebels, so that they'd leave us alone. But I wasn't quick enough… so I was on my own again. I stowed away on a Sweeper ship, then got caught. G was so impressed that I got past his security, that he didn't jettison me. He started to teach me mechanics instead. Um… ya know the war?"

"Uh huh."

"The Gundams?"

"Yeah."

"I'm 02."

There was silence for a minute. "My Kid's a terrorist?"

"Freedom fighter, officially."

"Cool."

"So, yeah, we fought. And we won. And then there was nothing to do… Trowa and Quatre would have let me stay with them, but I didn't wanna intrude. Heero has his Princess, and Wufei's become a Preventer. Well, we all are really."

"A terrorist and a cop?"

"M'not on active duty. Strictly 'oh shit the world is gonna explode' cases only."

"Ah. So, Heero, Wufei, and uh, Quatre and Trowa? They da others?"

"Yeah."

"An' you?"

Duo tilted his head up to look Solo in the eyes. "Duo Maxwell, at your service. I may run and I may hide but I never tell a lie!"

Duo was surprised to see tears in Solo's eyes. "Hey, hey, boys don't cry, remember?"

"I remember."

Duo burrowed further into Solo's embrace, breathing in the scent of his old friend and partner. "Hey, Solo?"

"Yeah?"

"You grew up."

"So did you, kiddo. Grew up real pretty too."

"Pretty's fer girls."

"It can be for boys. Ok, then, ya grew up beautiful."

"Hmph."

"Yer hair's amazin'."

"I don' let anyone see it all down… but it'd be ok fer you."

Duo moved away slightly to grab the brush that Solo had abandoned on the desktop. "Brush it out fer me? Like ya used to?"

Solo smiled, and took the brush. Duo turned in his lap, and pushed his hair so that it streamed down his back. Gentle fingers pulled out the bands and untwisted the braids before the blond started brushing the tangles out of the ends.

The trained terrorist was soon reduced to a purring puddle of Duo-flavoured goo.

x

Solo swept the mass of shining hair to one side, and brushed a soft kiss against the side of Duo's neck. The longhaired teen melted against him, and turned his head in a languid invitation. Solo took it, claiming his old friend's lips.

Duo sighed into his mouth, tasting of coke and cigarettes and something sweet that was just Duo. Duo shifted in his lap, moving so that he faced him properly and twining his arms around his neck.

"Missed ya, So'."

"Missed ya too."

"Neva leave 'gain?"

"No, neva. Love ya."

Duo sighed and snuggled closer. "Ya gotta work?"

"I fink 'm ok fer now."

"Good. Don' wanna move."

Solo chuckled, his chest vibrating against Duo's ear. "Ya neva wanna move. Kitten really suits ya."

"Down ta da ground."

They were silent a moment, Solo stroking on hand absently through Duo's long hair. "You grew it out fer me?"

"To remember."

"'at's better. Ya can talk proper now, so ya should."

"Kay."

"Where ya stayin'?"

"With this old lady, in her attic. She runs a hotel."

"Ok."

"She cooks an' I'm the handyman."

There was a loud banging on the door. Solo was surprised to see Duo start up out of his arms and drop into a fighting pose, favoring one leg as he did so. Solo was left blinking at the speed, with his arms feeling cold and empty.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Scar."

"Tis open."

A quick motion caught the corner of his eye, and Solo turned to see Duo's hands flashing as he re-braided his hair. He was already over half done. By the time Scar had opened the door, Duo was twisting a hairband around the end of a neat braid.

"Solo, yer break's over. I want ya servin' fer a bit."

"Kay."

"Who's this?"

Duo grinned. "I'm offended that ya don't recognise me."

Scar peered at him. "Why, if it ain't little Kitten, all grown up into a cat. We thought ya was dead."

"So did a lotta people."

"Ya come fer a job?"

"Naw, just ta visit an old friend. I'll be goin' now."

"Pity. Ya grew up real pretty."

"So I've been told. See ya, Wolf."

"See ya. Come by tomorrow?"

"I'll try."

Duo ducked out of the room and made his way through the corridors, his light footsteps masked by the pounding bass vibrating through the walls. He found the exit without too much trouble, and nodded to the guard on the way out before doing his level best to melt into the night.


	8. A Quiet Smoke

(AN: If you notice the accents fluctuating, it's probably intentional – I'm paying a lot of attention to the way that they're talking because so many people have commented on how they like the accents. The way I see it, Duo learned how to talk "properly" when he lived in Maxwell Church and when he became a pilot, but being around Solo, who still has a street accent, would cause him to slip into old patterns. Solo, of course, likes that his little sidekick is now all civilized, and tries to encourage him to "Talk Proper" – and talks a little better himself as a consequence of hanging around Duo. (see, I've put a lot of thought into this ) So both characters will talk differently depending on the people that they're talking to. (I despise fics where they are both talking "Queen's English" and using elaborate words even though they've come from the streets. It just wouldn't happen!)

(Renata-Sama: Um… I dunno? Heh. They're not gonna get one during this fic. Tro and Q might. Heh… there's an idea… everyone meeting Solo there… thank you! Mwaha! I have PLOT! FEAR ME! And now… on with the fic! )

Duo spent most of the next morning thinking about Solo and setting up his new computer. This was achieved by careful multitasking, thinking while things were loading, and then using his training to push the thoughts from his mind while programming. By lunchtime he had everything set up the way he wanted, so he decided to actually shower and put some clothes on before going and eating lunch downstairs.

Rosemary had made soup and warm bread rolls, which she served up with a smile. "You look cheerful. You missed breakfast, you must be hungry."

"I have a few things in the room I can nibble on, you know," he told her, tearing his roll into pieces. "I've been setting up my new computer."

"Ah. I know almost nothing about computers."

"Do you have a security system here?" he asked.

"No cameras or anything. There is an alarm system."

"Does it cover the fire escapes?"

"No, I don't think so," she replied, sipping on a spoonful of soup.

"Would you mind me setting up one in the apartment sometime?"

"Be my guest, so long as it can either be explained or dismantled when you move on."

"Shouldn't that be if?" he asked, blowing on the soup to cool it.

She smiled at him, a wistful expression crossing her face. "You're young, you won't be here forever. You want to find yourself a partner and settle down."

"I've been thinking about that…"

Rosemary laughed. "Already?"

"No, no… I've met an old friend."

"From the church?"

"No, from before there. I thought he died in the plague, but it turned out someone saved him."

"What's his name?"

Duo considered. If he did persuade Solo to move out of the club, Rosemary was going to hear his real name eventually, so he might as well tell her now. "Solo."

"Solo… did that have something to do with your name?"

Duo laughed as he tore more pieces off of his roll. "Yes, I was going to 'live for the both of us'. Only, as he is alive, I s'pose I was livin' for me."

"So, why are you telling me about Solo?" she questioned, her eyes bright and knowing.

"I was wondering if you would object to another tenant in your attic, if he agrees with me. I don't like where he's livin' now."

"I don't see why not. There's no spare mattresses though, he'll either have to sleep on the sofa or you'll have to find one for yourselves."

"I'm sure we'll manage. Trouble is…" Duo found himself tailing off and staring into his soup.

"What's bothering you? I might not be Sister Helen, but I can at least listen," Rosemary told him.

"My life has changed so much since I left. I don't know if Solo and I will still be able to… to…."

"Communicate?"

"Yeah, that's it. I don't think we speak the same language anymore. It used to be that he protected me, but now I find myself wanting to protect him, and I don't know how receptive either of us will be to the change."

"You're quite a complicated person now, Duo."

"Hm?"

"The little choir boy I knew could never have broken down something like that. You've grown up. Maybe Solo has too. Maybe you're the boost he needs to make something of his life. You may be able to teach him things; he may be able to teach you. Happiness is all that matters in this life when you come down to it."

"Happiness?"

"Yes. If you are happy in his company, his company is worth keeping, whether you talk about the weather or astro-physics."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem, Dear. Now, are you available to do a little wiring for me? The power on the first floor keeps on cutting out, although it's fine in the rest of the building."

X

Rosemary's power problem turned out to be a dodgy switch, and was fixed quickly. Smiling at the relieved guest, Duo retreated to his room, and decided to try and see if the computer was up to a little hacking.

It was too soon to contact any of the others, although Quatre and Trowa would probably appreciate a note. He doubted that they had reported his disappearance, which meant that there would be no-one looking for him. However, someone would check soon – ex-terrorists were watched.

The logical person to contact would be Lady Une. He could swear her to secrecy, and despite the fact that she had tried to kill him, she had made up for that later by saving him and Wufei. Her face still gave him the shivers, but that was controllable.

Duo sat down at the computer, and began to bounce his signal off of several satellites… starting with L1, then one from L2… L3… L4… L5! Ok, now it would be harder to figure out where his hack was coming from. From the L5 he decided to beam directly into Preventer's Headquarters and, more specifically, Lady Une's office. He bounced once more on the way… using her secretary's computer. Just for a laugh. It wasn't too hard to hack into… he thought he recognised Heero's touch. Then at little more hacking, avoiding firewalls and the extra security Une had on her machine.

The webcam was on. Duo tapped into the feed, and was pleased to see that she was at her desk, reading a report. Grinning, he brought up a text document on her desktop and started to type.

yo, Lady! How's it hangin'?

just thought I'd leave you a little note… I've moved you see.

She still wasn't paying any attention to the monitor, but a frown had creased her forehead. Probably sensing that something was up, he figured. The white box would have changed the quality of the light coming from her monitor.

I'll be a good boy and check in at the local preventer office tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure that no-one (and that means the pilots as well as the press) knows where I am now.

you're not being very observant, you know.

Duo got bored of waiting, this report was obviously very important. He began to search through the computer for any music files he could surprise her with. However, before he could find anything suitable, Lady Une set the report aside. He quickly aborted his search and watched closely.

She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. She stretched. She swiveled on the chair, faced the monitor, and frowned. The frown got deeper and deeper until she started tapping furiously at the keys.

who is this?

I may run and I may hide, but I never tell a lie. Duo Maxwell, at your service.

Yuy isn't going to be happy that you broke into his system.

Hee-chan can kiss my ass.

where have you moved to?

L2. I don't want anyone bothering me here until I'm ready to be bothered.

all right. I'll inform them that you have arrived and will be visiting tomorrow.

I was wondering… any jobs for outside consultants available?

I think we could use your services when planning missions. Can I have a contact address?

not got one set up yet. I'll let the guys here know, and tell them to tell you.

all right. We haven't got anything in the melting pot right now, but keep your ears open.

Lady… it's late on Earth. Get some sleep. Go spend some time with your little girl, you're running yourself into the ground.

There was a pause before she answered.

I'll try.

He smiled at the screen.

02, over and out.

Quickly, he erased all traces that he had been there, leaving Une to do what she would with the text document. He pulled back to L2, and stretched himself, feeling a twinge in his knee. It was a lot better, but he decided to take some more ibuprofen just in case.

Now that the pressing task – taking care of his watchdogs – was over, he could go shopping. The realization that anyone could waltz into the building was going to affect his sleep unless he could do something about it. He had just managed to get rid of the habit of catnapping with one eye open while staying with Quatre and Trowa; he had no desire to slip back into old patterns.

Before he left he knocked on Rosemary's door to ask her if she needed anything, feeling like a right goody-goody, but not willing to pass up the chance to show her his appreciation for taking him in.

"Thank you, Dear, but I'm all right. Just keep your eyes open for rugs!"

"Sure thing."

X

He managed to get a moderately decent security system up before dinner, which ensured him a good night's rest. After some consideration, he decided to head to the club straight after eating, rather than waiting for a crowd to gather. Maybe he could talk to Solo before the show… maybe the conversation wouldn't be as strained as he feared?

He left his hair in it's traditional braid, but wore eyeliner in an attempt to blend in a little more. The idiots up in the control room decided that tonight was going to have a light rain, which appeared as sheets of drizzle slanting along the streets. Duo wrinkled his nose and was grateful for his baseball cap; it shielded his face from the worst of it.

He headed for the back door and was, predictably, stopped by the bouncers.

"No entry t' customers."

"I'm not a customer," Duo stated, tipping his hat back so that he could see their faces.

"State yer business."

"I'm here to visit Wolf."

They frowned. "You kitten?"

"Yeah."

"All right. He said t' let yer in."

"Thanks."

Duo found his way to Solo's room easily enough, managing to avoid other workers on the way. He tapped on the door. "Wolf? S'Duo."

"Come in."

He shut the door behind him and then tensed as he was hugged from behind. It took him a second to convince his muscles that this was not an attack, and then he relaxed into the embrace.

"So'… are ya happy here?"

"What kinda question is that?"

"Does that mean yes or no?"

"No, o'course. I'd get out if I could."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Cause… I asked Rosemary… I want ya to come live wi' me."

"I won't freeload."

"So'! No! You're… family. S'not charity."

"Speak proper, little bro'. Ya can now, so ya should. An'… ok. But I'll be working at summant."

"That's ok. We'll figure somethin' out. Maybe you can help Rosemary out. We'll figure it out later."

"Kid… Duo… I hate ta say it, but I gotta be on stage in five."

"That's ok."

"Do… would… stay here? Wait for me?"

"All right."

"I'm not turnin' tricks."

"Ok."

Solo smiled and brushed the hair out of Duo's eyes, trailing on finger down his cheek. Duo almost closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. "Back in less than an hour. I dunno what he wants me t'do t'night."

"Kay."

The door clicked softly as it shut, leaving Duo alone in the room.

The braided teen looked around, and decided that the bed looked like the most comfortable place to wait. He wrapped Solo's blanket around his shoulders and leaned against the wall, inhaling the scent that rose from the fabric.

His eye fell on the slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes resting at the end of the bed, next to a purple lighter. Solo wouldn't mind if he smoked one… and even if he did, Duo could buy him some more. There was a used ashtray in the room, so he knew that smoking would be ok.

"Missed ya, So'," he muttered to the empty room as he exhaled. The smoke rose into the still air, curling in mysterious patterns. The taste on his tongue reminded him of Solo. Would this be what the blond tasted like?

Duo impulsively banged his head back against the wall. Bad thought. Don't go there. Just because he's hot and he knows more about you than most. He's your friend. Your brother. And he's droolworthy in leather. No! Bad! Friend. Remember? Brothers in spirit. Family. No sleeping with the family.

Unless he wants to.

"Shut up! Stoppit! Stop thinking!" Duo muttered, resisting the urge to bang his head again. He resisted the urge to chew the filter of his cigarette as he placed it between his lips.

The thoughts wouldn't go away.

"Ok… I find him attractive. Nothin' wrong with that. I get on with him, I love him like a brother. A brother who's not biologically related to me and has a really sexy way of moving his hips when he dances. He understands shit about my past that others don't. He appears cool with the whole terrorism thing…"

Why did it suddenly seem that a relationship with Solo would possibly be better than one with… well, a random person who didn't know him? Knowing that your lover used to eat out of garbage cans was a bit of a turn-off. At least Hilde had seemed to think so.

Hilde. Liked him for his face, and dropped him like a hot potato as soon as she learned what area he had grown up in. Girls… they disgusted him sometimes. There were probably nice ones out there, Sally seemed sensible. Relena came across as a bit of an air-head, but then she was the stereotypical rich girl, it probably wasn't totally her fault. Une had a problem, clear and simple, but at least she was devoted. Noin… was a bit of a puzzle. Almost as scary as Relena in her own way. Devotion with more proof and no stalker-tendencies. So, ok, there were some nice girls out there, Sally definitely came top out of those he knew. But Hilde?

He'd be avoiding the Scheibecker scrap yards.

He moved for the ashtray before he managed to drop ash all over the bed.

"My life is fucked already. Being with Solo can hardly make it worse."

He settled back against the wall and continued smoking. Solo would be a while yet, and until then he had nothing to do but think.


	9. Cookies Crumble

Sorry for the wait; been in hospital and so didn't have much of a chance to write. Hospital sucks, btw. Utterly and completely.

xxx

"So, uh, this is it," Duo said, gesturing around the long room.

"Cool!" Solo exclaimed. "Am I crashing on the sofa or sleeping with you?"

Duo shrugged. "Don't mind. Just… be cautious if you're waking me, kay? I don't wanna accidentally gut you in my sleep or anythin'..."

Solo's expression immediately sobered. "Ok, kid. I'll be careful." The blond dancer stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Duo in a hesitant hug. "Thanks for gettin' me outta there."

"It's no biggie."

"No, it is," Solo insisted. "Livin' at the club… I weren't free, and ya knows how much I prize bein' free."

Duo sighed and nodded. He gestured to Solo to dump his bag by the wardrobe and moved over to the kitchen area. "You want some coffee?"

"Sure."

"It's one of the few things I know how to make. Rosemary's been feedin' me since I arrived. She said that she don't mind cookin' fer you now."

"Grammer, kid, speak proper."

Duo pouted. "Speak proper yerself." He set the kettle to boil and took two mugs out of the cupboard.

"Hey… uh, Duo?"

"Mmm?"

"Ya gots ta do anythin' today?"

The braided teen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Aa. I gotta go to the Preventers base at some point. I promised Scary Une that I'd stop by."

"Preventers!" Solo asked, alarmed. "Ya in trouble?"

Duo shrugged. "Not really. I am a pretty dangerous person though, with the whole terrorist thing. The government want to keep tabs on me, and I can't disappear, I might be needed."

"Needed?"

Duo grinned. "Yeah, to help save the world again!" He handed Solo his mug of coffee and flopped down onto the sofa with his own. "See, the government are giving me… well, it's kinda like an allowance, although I bet they've got a fancy name for it. That's going into one of my accounts. Q's also promised any of us money if we ever need it. But you taught me never to rely on others, so I'm taking up a position in the Preventers as an outside consultant, which I can do from here, with that computer over there."

Solo nodded, one hand absently toying with the shorter hairs around his ear, and the other cradled around the warmth of his coffee mug. "I get it. Who's Q?"

"Ya know Winner Corp?"

"Everyone does!"

"He's the heir. Only son."

"Wow. How the hell do ya know him?"

"He was a pilot too, but don't tell anyone. Heero's the only one that's gone even marginally public, and that's cause he's bodyguarding Relena."

"Relena?"

"Peacecraft."

"Oh, that Relena. Man, kiddo, you sure have friends in high places."

"Heh, don't get too impressed," Duo cautioned, sipping his drink. "The other two are a circus performer who grew up in a mercenary troop, and the last survivor of the Dragon Clan of L5."

"Owch. Bet that hit him hard."

"Yeah, he's always been unsociable, after they pulled a Heero he was even worse."

"Pulled a Heero?"

"Sorry, man. Heero was 01, the one who kept on Self-Destructing."

"Didn't he only do it once?"

"He did it all the time, the baka, with or without his Gundam. It's a fucking miracle he lived to see the end of the war in my opinion. Anyway, enough about the past. I gotta go check in with some stuffy guys in uniforms, who I will do my best to annoy profusely… I may break into the office, just to check security. Une gave us these nifty cards in case we ever got into trouble, being who we were and all, so I'm clean if anyone does actually catch me…"

"Is that likely?"

"Not really. Demolitions may have been my forte, but infiltration is my second. Not as good as Trowa, but then, who is?"

Solo shifted, looking a little uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Duo asked immediately.

"Uh… what's a four-tay?"

"Forte? Um… strength. Thing that you're best at."

"Oh, sorry."

"Hey," Duo chided, putting an arm around Solo's shoulders. "Don't be sorry. You learnt a new word, that's a good thing. I learn new ones all the time, and even Quatre, who actually had teachers, doesn't know everything. I know – I taught him a good few words and even some songs that he'd never heard before in his life!"

Mission Accomplished, Duo thought, as Solo laughed at the joke. Still, Solo couldn't just lounge around the studio; even if money wasn't an issue, it would make him feel like a burden and he'd get depressed.

"So, So', whatcha gonna do? Ya still gonna dance?"

"Kid! Talk proper!" Solo frowned as Duo laughed . "I dunno. I'm not gonna laze around here, but now that I got time ta look fer a job, I don't wanna dance no more. No future in dancin'; someday I'll get too old and that'll be it."

"You're right. It's been too long, I dunno what you're good at anymore."

"I'm ok with fixing things."

"Hm… a garage?"

Solo shrugged.

"Well, for now ya can probably help Rosemary out with this place, she runs it on her own. Actually, if she needed another person, there might be a job there. You could ask her."

"Duo, I ain't even met her yet! You're jumpin' ahead."

Sheepishly, duo scratched the back of his head. "Oops."

"Anyhow, ya need ta get goin'. Go break into the Preventers office, or whatsever it is yer gonna do."

"I'll introduce ya to Rosemary afore I go, ok?"

"Speak proper!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on!"

X

Duo stared up at the imposing front of the L2 Police headquarters with some trepidation. He could remember several instances when he had been dragged there as a child… it seemed to have shrunk a little, but it was still connected with a need to get away in his mind. Of course, it had nothing on the main headquarters back on earth.

Looking around, Duo spotted a small alleyway to the left, running down the side of the building. He ducked into it, and found himself faced with a stack of boxes and crates. The boxes had once held computers, he had no idea about the crates. Equipment maybe. They were stacked fairly well, it looked like they would take his weight, and there was a window left ajar about five metres up the wall. Piece of cake. A quick scramble later, and he was looking into a deserted supply room. The window had been alarmed, but that had been easy to disable, and then re-enable behind him. Didn't want to compromise their security, after all this wasn't OZ, and he had an idea that this spur of the moment impromptu spot inspection wouldn't go down well as it was.

There were voices in the corridor, so Duo quickly ducked behind a tall filing cabinet near the door. He caught his breath as they paused outside, but the sound of water solved his problem. There was a water dispenser of some sort outside the storage room.

"Do you think he will actually come today?"

"Preventer Une said so."

Duo perked up. Ooh, they were talking about him! What a stroke of luck, maybe he'd find out something useful, and without having to crawl through any air ducts.

"Well, yeah, but who is he anyway to get her special notice?" The first voice sounded rather annoyed.

"I don't know, but obviously somebody we should follow orders towards." The second said firmly. "Let him in without a fuss, no matter what he looks like at the time, and direct him straight to the Preventer's office on the second floor."

Second floor? This was just too easy. Man, cops were lax when there wasn't a war in the vicinity.

"So, you have no idea why such a high up Preventer is getting involved with a, by the description, teenage hippie?"

"Just because he has long hair doesn't make him a hippy. And she said he wears a lot of black. According to my history lessons, that would make him a Goth, Hippies wore bright colours."

"Man, you know I never listened in history."

"Come on, our shift starts in two minutes, they'll be pissed if they have to wait."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Duo listened to them leave, and decided there and then that he much preferred voice two to voice one. Hippy indeed! The corridor sounded empty, and a quick peek confirmed that. There was a stairwell at one end, which he headed for. He was on the first floor, by his reckoning, and they had said that the Preventers office was on the second.

There was no-one on the stairs either. Cops must all take the lifts, he reasoned. AN: uh, that's elevators for any American readers This was just a little too easy, he hoped that his surprise visit would cause them to bump up security a little. The two cameras he had seen were on a timed rotation and easily avoided. While panning the camera around gave the security team a wider view, it also meant that you could sneak up behind, stand directly under the camera with your back flat against the wall, and then dash off again while it was 'looking' in the other direction. Useful design flaw, all of OZ's cameras had been the same, and from the look of it, this building was ex-OZ.

The next floor, usefully, had one of those little signs that stuck out of the wall just above head height, that said "PREVENTERS". Grinning, Duo moved to the door and peeked through the glass pane. The room wasn't empty, although it might as well have been. One desk had a little sign that said 'out to lunch' propped against the desk light, while the Agent to whom it belonged to sat behind it with a Preventer's baseball cap over his face. Duo could hear his snores through the door.

The sound of a toilet being flushed caught his ear, solving the mystery of where the other Agent had gone. Still grinning, Duo waltzed into the office, closed the door quietly behind him and made himself comfortable behind the empty desk.

Two minutes later an older Agent with greying brown hair and a scar on one cheek walked though the door and stopped dead.

"Who're you!" he demanded, waking up the other Agent, who almost fell backwards off of his chair.

Duo grinned. "Duo Maxwell. I believe you were expecting me? Your security sucks, by the way. You might want to do something about that."

X

Solo eyed the old lady cautiously. She seemed nice enough… she had announced that he was too thin, forced him to sit down and was now talking at him about the memorial garden down the road while she baked him 'cookies'. He wasn't sure what cookies were, but so far they smelled nice. She was mixing lots of different things in a bowl – so far all he had recognised was butter. He hoped that the white powder, whatever it was, wasn't a dangerous powdered drug, 'cause she had used a lot of it.

"Nearly ready, dearie," she said, spooning globs of the mixture onto a tray and sliding them into a cupboard with a glass door. There was a wave of heat as the cupboard opened, and Solo could see a light inside. Maybe this cupboard was a bit like the microwave in the back of Blue Lightening? Bess used to make him hot chocolate using that when he was younger. Kid too. Solo frowned. He'd really have to ask Kid… Duo which name he would prefer. Although, knowing the kid, he'd probably say that he didn't mind and that both were cool.

Rosemary sat down at the table, wiping her hands off on a dishtowel. She smiled disarmingly, and handed him a glass of water. "Now, I've been talking all this time, let's hear a little more about you."

Solo shrugged. "Not much to tell. I've been workin' at Blue Lightening since afore Duo went, afore the plague. During the plague the manager saved me life, an' I worked there since to repay him."

"Since before the plague? You must have been very young."

"I helped out in back at first, then on tables an' at the bar."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"No. People kept on wantin' to touch me, and I didn't wanna be touched."

"Then why did you work there?"

"When I started, it was for the Kid. Duo, I mean. Workin' there got me some credits so that we could eat an' fix up the den a little."

"Well, what are you planning to do now?"

Solo shrugged. "I need to get me a job of some sort, I'm not gonna freeload. I know a little bit about fixing things, and I know how to mix drinks an' thatsabout it."

There was a beeping noise that made him jump. Rosemary smiled and got up. "The cookies are done! I'll just get them out of the oven. Now, about a job… there are a few reasonably respectable bars around here that might be willing to take you on."

Solo smiled as he watched her move flat brown disks from the tray onto a rack. She put one on a small plate and handed it to him. "Here you go, dear. Fresh from the oven, which means it will be nice and soft."

"What did ya call it?"

Rosemary smiled. "A cookie."


	10. Surprise!

Sorry for the wait! I was on holiday in Scotland... bad, I know. I think this will be the penultimate chapter, with perhaps an epilogue to follow; there was a prologue after all and these things should be done properly. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!

Duo glanced at the clock in the bottom right hand corner of his screen. Solo should be back from work any minute, and he still hadn't managed to check his mail. Preventers apparently had a lot of cases that they would like expert advice on, which meant a lot of reading for him, as he had to know every detail of a case to make a reasonable decision.

He quickly dived into his mail box, sorting through junk and chain-mail. The Preventers tasks were automatically relegated to another folder, so this was all personal junk. Then one address caught his eye; opened the mail, and smiled.

/Hi there, old friend!

T and I have finally decided to make it official, and of course you're invited! He says I have to wear the dress, but we're trying to convince him that he has the legs for it!

You are invited, of course, and please feel free to bring a guest. Maybe that lovely young lady you met in transit?

If dress is going to be a problem, please contact me and something will be arranged. I look forward to seeing you on L4 soon! The ceremony will take place on the 31st of next month. A shuttle will be prepared for you, tell me where and when you want it! I'm taking full advantage of my status.

Q

PS. You must wear at least one article of clothing that is NOT black/

Duo was grinning like a maniac as Solo strolled in the door. The blond smiled at him and walked over to hug him from behind. "Somethin' good?"

"We're going to a wedding."

"Huh?"

"A wedding. Two of the other pilots are getting married, and I'm invited. I was told to bring a guest, so you're coming too."

"Me?"

"Uh huh."

"But where?"

"L4."

Solo pulled away, shocked. "It'll cost…fuck!"

Duo smiled, taking his hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it. "No, Q's sending us his own shuttle."

Solo's eyes widened, then his face fell. "But I ain't got nothin' to wear."

"He thought of that. It's a while to get to L4, so I'll ask him to get us picked up the day before... then we can steal his credit card and get clothes there. We'd have a helluva time getting' good stuff here anyhow."

"That seems a bit wrong, gettin' him to pay fer us."

"He's a bloody billionaire, he can take it!"

Solo looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "Ok. I'm gonna take a shower. Is Rosie cookin' fer us tonight?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope. I thought we could order in tonight. I'll do that while you shower, kay?"

"Kay."

X

Solo shut the bathroom door and turned the shower on before he allowed himself to shudder. A wedding! Streetrats didn't belong at no weddings! He'd mess up somewhere and cause no end of trouble...

But the look on Duo's face when he had been planning it out had been great, the Kid hadn't looked that happy ever, and Solo found that he was falling in love with Duo's true smile. Duo smiled all the time, but it rarely reached his eyes. When it did, he looked like a little angel.

He had to go, for Duo's sake. To make him happy. Maybe he could stay out of the way in a corner… Duo had said that some of the other pilots were orphans too, right? So maybe if he stayed with them and avoided the rich people he would be ok….

He quickly stripped and stepped under the warming spray, letting it warm his tense muscles. After all, he thought as he rubbed soap into a lather, Duo wasn't about to let anything happen to him and even if some rich folks did look down their noses, it wasn't like that was anything new.

Still, as soon as he was done with the shower, he decided to go and see if Duo was in the mood for snuggling; he could do with a little comfort. The customers today had been grouchy because of the fault in the weather systems causing a perpetual cold rain that soaked anyone brave enough to step outside. Some of them had got rowdy, causing the bouncers to step in, and others remembered him from Blue Lightening and had sat at the bar making suggestive comments about cold bedsheets and lonely nights.

Yes, he could really do with a hug, he decided, rinsing shampoo out of his hair. He cut the water and groped for a dry towel, quickly rubbing himself off and walking into the main room, heading for the clothes chest and a pair of clean boxers. Duo looked up as he entered and smiled.

"I called the pizza place, the guy's coming here. I'll go down and get it, seeing as I'm dressed."

"Cool."

Duo's look turned wistful as Solo tilted his head to one side to towel his hair. "Can I brush your hair out for you?"

"Sure," Solo said with a smile. Looked like Duo was in a cuddly mood after all. He moved to sit in front of Duo on the sofa, and passed the brush up to him. A few seconds later, Duo started to run it through his blond hair, stroking his fingers down after each brush stroke.

"Ya only do this 'cause ya like petting me," Solo accused, smiling.

"So what if I do? Ya like bein' petted."

"S'not the point."

"I'm done now anyway. Come on up here you, tell me how work was."

Solo climbed up onto the sofa and settled Duo's head against his shoulder, one hand toying with the tuft at the end of his braid. "Was… nasty. Rain's got all the customers riled up. Coupla near fights."

"That don't normally bother you."

"Coupla guys from 'Lightening too."

"Ah."

Duo snuggled closer, one hand coming up to toy with the end of a lock of hair lying on his chest in much the same fashion that he was playing with Duo's braid.

"I missed ya, little one."

"Not so little anymore," Duo challenged, looking up into his eyes. Solo smiled.

"No, you're not."

Duo opened his mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by the bell.

"Pizza!"

Duo was out the door in a flash, leaving Solo staring after him and wondering exactly where they were going. They'd passed friends some time ago, exchanged friendly kisses before now and they cuddled a lot. But the light in Duo's eyes a moment ago… well, neither of them were children anymore.

X

Duo licked the last of the sauce he had been dipping his crusts in off of his fingers and groaned contentedly. "Man, that was nice."

"Uh huh."

Duo took a large swig of mountain dew to clear his mouth, then passed the large bottle to Solo who finished it off and thunked it down decidedly on the table. "Feel like some music?"

"Ok. From the computer?"

"Where else! Do you see a stereo system around here?"

"I thought ya could make one from chewing gum, spent matchsticks and an old hairband."

Duo laughed and punched Solo lightly on the shoulder. Solo caught his fist and tugged, causing the ex-pilot to loose his balance and topple on top of the blond. Duo surprised himself with how much he wanted the contact; his mind and body has supplied him with about 50 ways to stop this situation from the moment his fist was caught, but he had ignored all of them in favour of the feeling of Solo's warm, smooth skin against his own.

He found himself breathing quickly and staring into a pair of violet eyes that almost matched his own. He blinked. The eyes crinkled a little at the edges.

"Kiss me, you idiot."

X

It was the sort of night that didn't really stay whole in your memories, Duo thought afterwards. There were tastes, snatches of sensation, whispered words that stuck in his memory. If he really concentrated, he could probably give a blow by blow account of the physical aspects, but the mental, the emotional? A much more fluid concept and one which he found himself contemplating as he stared at the ceiling two nights later.

They had continued sharing the same bed and were as close as they had ever been, but Solo had suddenly become a mystery to him. Duo knew that this made no sense; he'd been able to read him easily before and one night of passion did not completely change a person. So why all the inscrutable looks?

Duo closed his eyes and made a heroic effort to keep from groaning. They needed to talk. But how to tell Solo that without making it seem like a bad thing? He tore his gaze away from the ceiling and fixed it on his bedmate. Solo lay curled on his side, breathing lightly. Duo drew a gentle finger down the curve of his cheek.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead. We need to figure where we're at."

"Mmm?" Solo mumbled sleepily, opening his eyes.

Duo smiled. "You look so adorable when you wake up," he murmured, leaning forward on impulse and kissing Solo on the nose. Solo wrinked his forehead and rubbed at his nose, which gave him the resemblance of a disgruntled five year old.

"M'not _adorable_," he insisted with scorn.

"Whatever you say, So'. We need to figure where we're at."

Solo sighed. "I know."

"First off, I liked it. I have no problem with doing it again, maybe makin' it a regular thing. Makin' us a regular thing."

Solo blinked. "Really?"

Duo was shocked. "You thought I wouldn't want to? Why the hell not?"

Solo blushed. "You're beautiful, Duo. Ya could have anyone ya wanted. Ya got no reason to be picking a mucky ex-rat like me."

Duo frowned. "I'm a mucky ex-rat too, ya know. And there's neva bin anyone, not no-one, like ya, So'. Yer stuck wi' me."

Solo gave an odd little moan and Duo found himself with an armful of blond. He smiled, and stroked a hand through his partner's long, loose hair. Solo muttered something against his chest, the sound so muffled even his trained ear couldn't pick it out.

"What was that?"

Solo raised his head a little. "I said, speak proper," he chided, before ducking down again and wrapping his arms a little tighter around Duo. "One of us gotta be civilized fer this weddin' of yours."

X

The days and weeks leading up to the wedding tore by far too quickly for Solo's taste. Going as Duo's official partner steadied his nerves a little, but there were gonna be _famous_ people there! And that guy who'd saved the world, the one Duo called a suicidal soldier-freak. He'd thought about playing ill, but the memory of the look on Duo's face when he'd announced that they were invited stopped him. He couldn't do that to the kid.

Besides, getting some nice clothes might be fun.

There was a breeze as the door opened and a Chinese man wearing a leather jacket, long black hair pulled tightly into a ponytail, strode in and walked up to the bar.

"What'll it be?" Solo asked, smiling. The guy had dangerous eyes, moved like a dancer which suggested martial arts skills and probably had more than one concealed weapon. Definitely someone to be nice to.

"Orange juice and lemonade."

Solo nodded and turned to get a glass. Obviously someone who wanted to keep his wits about him as well. "Been on L2 long?"

"How do you know I don't live here?" the man countered, sounding slightly suspicious. Solo stifled a laugh.

"Too well dressed, ya accent tells me you're from L5 an' I've lived here all me life an' never seen ya. My guess is that you're either visiting someone, here on business or pickin' something up."

The stranger raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his drink. "You're good."

Solo shrugged. "Had to be. So, why are you here?"

"Picking someone up. Or someone's."

"They in trouble?" Solo asked, wiping down the bar and wondering if it was anyone he knew. Surprisingly, this question made the man smile.

"They might be. They're going to a wedding."

Solo blinked. Then blinked again. Puzzle pieces were snapping together in his mind and he tried not to drop the glasses he was tidying away.

"Are you all right? You just went very pale," the man said, looking concerned. Solo leaned carefully against the bar.

"Ya wouldn't be here fer Duo?"

Instantly the man's eyes narrowed and he was on his guard again. "Yes."

"You're early."

Suspicion turned to confusion.

"You're not s'posed ta be pickin' us up till t'morrow."

The man sat down again and picked up his drink. "Us?" he questioned.

"Yeah, Duo's takin' me. What's ya name, by the way?"

"Chang Wufei. And I thought he was going with Hilde?"

"Hilde? He ain't contacted no-one called Hilde. Gimme a sec, I'll get him to come here."

"All right."

Solo went into the back room and picked up the phone. Duo answered on the second ring.

/Yo./

"It's me."

/Solo! What's up? Something wrong/

"Come down to the bar, willya?"

/Sure. Why/

"Got a surprise for you."

/Ok… I'm on my way./

Chang Wufei was still sitting calmly at the deserted bar sipping on his drink. Solo got himself a glass of water and pulled a can of Mt. Dew out of the 'fridge for Duo.

"He still drinks that crap?"

Solo nodded. "Yep. Addicted ter the stuff. I tell 'im he'll rot 'is teeth, but he won't listen."

Wufei laughed. "He never listens. You sound like you know him pretty well. Are you related? You've got the same eyes."

"No, we're not. As fer how I know him… it's his story to tell. I dunno if he'd want ya knowin'."

Wufei nodded. "Fair enough. Does he live far from here?"

"Not very."

Right on cue, Duo burst through the door. "What's my surprise?" he called, heading for the bar. Then he caught sight of the new occupant. "_Wuffers!_"

"It's Wu_fei_!" Wufei protested, although he succumbed to the bear hug. Solo laughed, and pushed the can of soda towards the exuberant brunette. Duo leapt up to sit on the bar and pulled Solo into a hug as well, nuzzling his cheek a little before pulling away.

"You're early, Fei," he commented as he opened the can.

"That's what your friend told me."

"How'd you know Solo was coming?" Duo asked, his eyes narrowed.

"He didn't," Solo said, leaning on his elbows next to Duo's hip. The ex-pilot's hand fell naturally onto his shoulder and Solo leaned in slightly, enjoying Duo's solid warmth.

"He figured it out on his own," Wufei said, his dark eyes taking in their position. "From surprisingly few clues."

"Aw, Solo's always been good at figuring stuff out."

"How do you know each other?"

"We… he looked after me when I was a kid."

"Looked after you? I thought you grew up in a church or something. The outfit said as much."

Duo tensed a little and started to toy with Solo's ponytail. The blond didn't mind, but he didn't think that it would help Duo's nerves all that much. "That was after the plague," Solo said. "Me an' Duo were before that, from when he was about four."

Wufei nodded and finished his drink.

"Would you like another?"

"No thank you."

"Where're ya stayin'?" Duo asked, sliding off of the bar.

"Speak properly," Solo muttered as he put Wufei's money in the till.

Wufei snickered. "No where yet."

Duo turned to Solo. "Mind if he crashes on the sofa?" Solo smiled.

"Nope."

"Ok. Come stay with us."

Wufei smiled. "Thanks. I had considered crashing in the shuttle, but I think staying with you would be nicer."

"Rosemary will wanna meet him, you'd better tell her there'll be one more fer dinner."

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Hey, got anythin' ya need to do, Wufei?"

"I was considering paying a visit to the Preventer base here."

"All right. I'll take you there after we've introduced you to Rosemary, she might cook you something authentically Chinese if you're lucky. So' don't get off for another couple of hours, but you're not on the late shift tonight, are you?"

"No, cause we're leavin' tomorrow."

Duo smiled, leaned over the bar and brushed a quick kiss across the blond's lips. "See you later!"

Solo watched as Duo dragged Wufei out of the bar by the arm. Wufei had been all right. His name had come up before, Solo remembered. He was one of the other pilots. Well, if the worst came to the worst and Duo disappeared somewhere, he could probably turn to Wufei if he needed backup. Maybe this wedding wouldn't be too bad after all…

X

"You're living together then?" Wufei said casually as they took the bus back from the Preventers office. Duo's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. Problem?"

"No, I just never realised…"

"What," Duo said defensively, "That I was gay?"

"No, that you had loved ones to go back to."

"I didn't, I thought he was dead. The plague he mentioned? I thought he died in it."

Wufei nodded. "You seem… close."

"We are. Very. Problem?" Duo asked again.

"Not with me. "

Duo smirked. "How's Sally?"

Wufei put a hand to his forehead and groaned. "I think she wants to get engaged or something, and I'm her latest victim!"

"She likes you, it's a good thing."

"Maybe I should follow your example and love men."

"That would make most of the Gundam pilots, which reminds me… Heero?"

"He's been mostly moping since you left. Hopefully, seeing you happy will perk him up a bit."

"Heero? Moping?" Duo asked incredulously.

"Well, the normal person wouldn't call it that, but… yes. Moping."

"I thought he and Relena…"

"So did we all. But no, not as far as I know."

"This is our stop!"

The two ex-pilots jumped out of the bus and Duo took off at a fast walk. "You armed?" he asked softly.

"Yes."

"Good. This is an iffy time of night… a little early for any real trouble but bein' prepaired never hurt no-one. Or no-one of any importance at any rate."


	11. It's a Gundam!

Shuttle rides, Solo decided, were the most mind-numbingly unexciting things in the world. Once the original thrill had worn off, he was as bored as hell. Sure, the stars were pretty, but they didn't really seem to _change_, not the way scenery did when you rode a bus. Duo, on the other hand, was loving every second of being back in space. He was floating comfortably around the private ship, poking into maintenance hatches and trying to get Wufei to persuade the pilot to let him drive. Solo was strapped firmly into his seat and intended to stay there, zero gravity not being something that he'd had much experience with. He was sure that if he tried floating around like Duo was, lightly propelling himself off of walls, tables and seat backs, he'd end up with an impressive set of bruises and perhaps a concussion. Wufei was sitting too, looking over some plans or other. Solo didn't intend to intrude; he might be looking at some secret mission plans and the blond intended to stay in the Preventer's good books.

"Man, I missed this!" Duo said, gliding over. He kicked lightly at the table, sending himself into a controlled spin and landing in Solo's lap.

"You're very… I dunno the word fer it. Like a dancer."

"Graceful," Wufei interjected, looking up from his clipboard. "Maxwell has always been graceful in zero g."

Solo blushed, but Duo tapped a finger under his chin, making him meet his eyes. The braided man smiled, leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss, moving their lips softly together but keeping it chaste. Wufei snorted and turned back to his papers.

"How long until we get there?"

"Not long now. An' then we get to go _shopping_!" Duo said, grinning like an excited five year old. "You're gonna look so hot in proper clothes! I wonder if Quatre will let me get you a leather jacket…"

Solo shook his head. "Naw, suit's enough. 'Sides, leather jackets cost loads."

"But Q's loaded!"

Wufei looked up again. "Maxwell, you're making him uncomfortable. And Solo, Winner enjoys buying things for other people. It is possible that he will take you shopping himself. You'll have to have a Maguanac guard, but I think you might enjoy the experience."

Solo stared at Wufei. The Chinese man seemed so cold and impersonal, and yet he had just bailed Solo out, while being polite and reassuring about it. "Um, why do you call them by their last names?" he asked before he thought about it.

Wufei looked surprised. "I… don't know exactly," he said slowly. "In my culture, it is rude to refer to a person by their given name unless given permission."

"But you call me Solo."

"No one has informed me of your last name."

Duo interrupted with "Chang Wufei! You know very well that you can call me Duo!"

Wufei smiled. "But you pay more attention to me when I call you Maxwell. I will call you Duo if you wish."

"Damn right I wish!"

Solo was treated to the rare sight of seeing Wufei smile

X

The area of the shuttle port where they disembarked was fairly empty, although through a set of glass windows bustling crowds could be seen. They were greeted by a slim Asian youth with unruly brown hair and sunglasses. Duo grinned and took off running.

"HEEEERO!"

Heero spun, caught Duo in mid air and continued spinning to break the momentum. They landed lightly, Duo's hands on Heero's shoulders. Duo was laughing, but he was shocked into silence when he saw Heero's face.

The Perfect Soldier was smiling. _Smiling_! At him!

"Hello Duo." He looked around. "Hilde?"

Duo regained his smile and his composure. "Haven't talked to her for months. Heero, meet Solo. He's an old friend of mine," Solo stepped up and twined his fingers with Duo's. "And he's my boyfriend."

Heero smiled again. "You look happy," he said simply, and turned to lead the way to the car. Duo was left staring after him with his mouth open.

"I thought ya said he didn't smile?" Solo muttered, tugging Duo's hand in an effort to get him moving.

"He neva useta…"

"Talk proper!" Solo admonished, causing Wufei to snort with suppressed laughter as he followed them into the carpark. Solo frowned at Wufei. "He can talk proper now, so he should . Bad enough growin' up on the streets wi'out soundin' like ya did."

Wufei nodded. "I understand. But no one tells Max- Duo to do anything. Even if they try he doesn't do it. But you… he listens to you."

Duo grinned. "That's 'cause So' is the closest thing I got to a big brother," he said flippantly. "Sister and Father were mom and dad, but Solo's always been my Sun." He watched as a blush darkened Solo's spacer pale skin and squeezed his slender fingers.

Ahead of them, Heero tilted his head to one side. "From big brother to boyfriend? That seems sort of… wrong."

Duo bristled up defensively. "Well, we weren't exactly gonna have a romantic relationship when we were little kids, were we? I've loved Solo, like, forever. Being boyfriends… partners… is just the next step!"

Solo squeezed his fingers as he added. "Besides, our life was never really normal. How many thirteen year olds made their living working in a club?"

Wufei gasped. "That's illegal."

"That's L2," Solo replied calmly. But Duo could feel the blond's fingers tightly clenching his own, and knew how scared and out of his element Solo felt. He suddenly stopped walking.

"Guys, give us a minute?"

"Duo, what-"

"Shh. Guys?"

Wufei gave a little bow and carried on walking, Heero pacing like a hunting cat at his side. Duo watched them make their way to the car and sit on the bonnet, before turning to Solo, looking into the purple eyes that mirrored his own.

"Solo… they're human, ya know? They're not gonna eat ya."

"I know," Solo said, looking away. "I just… I don't fit in here."

"Neither do I. But I smile and plow through and no one seems ta have figured it out yet. Why're ya so scared, So'? All off balance? You were the one who taught me to be a cocky little asshole, and that knowledge saved me life millions of times. I got captured by OZ, and I didn't curl up into a little ball and cry, I insulted the buggers ta hell an' back. Just like you would have. An' I know that ya still could. So why? What's wrong?"

Solo shuddered, and Duo was amazed to see tears fill his eyes. "Boy's don' cry…" he whispered.

The blond sniffed, and held out his arms for a hug. Duo gladly stepped into them, letting his old protector rest his head on his shoulder. "They're your partners… I don' wanna upset ya, let ya down. I don't fit here, but you… ya smiled so much when ya said we was goin'. You was happy… so happy. An' I didn't wanna stop ya smilin'. But I'm scared. I'm scared I'll fuck up and you'll leave me an'…an'…"

Duo pulled away slightly and ran his fingers through Solo's long hair. "Ya stoopid ass'ole," he said, falling completely into the speech mode he had used as a little child. Then he did something he wouldn't have dreamed of doing as a little child; stood on his toes and pressed his mouth hard against Solo's, sliding his hands into silky hair and pressing as much of himself as he could against the blond. Solo let out a funny little moan and wrapped both arms around Duo's waist, pressing them tighter together.

"I'm. Neva. Gonna. Leave. Ya." Duo said, emphasizing each word with another kiss. "Least not fer somethin' stupid like that."

"But…"

"No buts. 'm sorry I didn't figure out you were this worried 'bout it."

"Didn't want ya to worry."

"So'… I loved you before I even met them. And maybe I thought Heero was hot and appreciated Wu's fine ass, but I was still grieving over you. I thought ya was gone, gone forever. But ya weren't, an' now we're together again. And I don't ever wanna loose you again. So quit worryin'! Just be yerself. I love ya just the way you are, dummy. Don't change."

Solo nodded. "Kay. We're keepin' them waitin'."

Duo nodded and reluctantly stepped away, missing Solo's warmth instantly. The blond seemed to realise this, for he immediately slipped his hand into Duo's, twining their fingers together.

Heero smiled at them when they reached the car. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"I apologise if I stirred up some bad memories," Wufei added stiffly, with another bow. Duo grinned as Solo mimicked his gesture.

"Accepted."

Heero spun the car keys around his finger. "Shall we?"

X

To Duo's disappointment but Solo's relief, they did not go shopping in a large department store. Rather, Heero led them through the large house where they were to be staying into a room with racks of formal clothing.

Solo had been staring since they walked in through the large front doors. He had never seen anything like this place; real wooden floorings, gold fittings, thick, expensive rugs, crystal light fittings… it was like being in a palace. He felt very out of place.

Solo was surprised to catch Duo looking around a little guiltily too, wearing the 'I shouldn't be here' expression Solo recognised from his own face. Heero and Wufei, on the other hand, strode in like they owned the place. In fact… Duo had a little of that bravado too, despite the guilty look. All three of them strode along the carpeted corridors and up the marble staircase like they were gracing the building with their presence. Solo took a deep breath and tried to do the same.

The room, complete with screens to change behind and a low coffee table with snacks also came with a short blond, who shrieked and ran to hug Duo as soon as they walked in the door.

"Duo! I haven't seen you for ages! How have you been? Was the flight ok? Did Wufei manage to find you quickly? You never gave us an address- oh!" The blond paused, looking over Duo's shoulder at Solo. "Hello! I don't believe we've met." He let go of the braided teen and shook Solo's hand. "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner, soon to be Winner-Barton… or it could be Barton-Winner, we haven't decided yet. Duo's supposed to get the last say. Personally I like the second, and it's alphabetical too, but the Winner name is the more prestigious of the two, so Trowa says that it should go first. What's your name?"

Solo swallowed. Culture shock, he decided. This must be culture shock. "Solo." He managed. This guy had the biggest pair of baby-blue eyes he had ever seen, and hair like the golden sand he had seen on posters.

"Solo," Quatre repeated. His blue eyes narrowed for a second, and Solo felt a sudden thrill of fear. Despite his angelic appearance, this one was dangerous. He was a killer, and he was clever. Solo had no doubt that he had heard the name, connected it with Duo's and already formed several different theories as to why their names were so similar.

Definitely not someone to mess with.

"Well, Solo, and you too Duo! We'd better get you kitted out for this wedding," Quatre continued. He linked arms with both of them and propelled them towards the racks of clothing. "Wufei and Heero already have their costumes. Wufei went for traditional Chinese, and Heero looks like a Yakuza or something. Still, the leather coat does swish nicely."

"We get to wear leather?!" Duo asked, his eyes sparkling. "I bin wantin' ta get Solo in a leather jacket!"

"Speak proper," Solo muttered from force of habit. Quatre giggled.

"I'm sure we'll manage to find something that's to your liking here. God knows the store send us enough."

"The store sent ya?" Solo asked tentatively. Quatre's eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Yes. This wedding is the event of the year, or some such nonsense, so they sent me lots of clothes to outfit my guests with. Anything we don't want will be collected after, everything we do want is half price."

"Cool."

"Yeah, being what I am has its advantages. Now, I think this rail will be to your liking. Shirts and fairly smart jeans or slacks. I don't mind if you're in denim so long as it's black, oh, and don't let Duo near the leather pants. In fact, neither of you go near. You're not showing up at my wedding looking like a biker gang! But go for the leather jackets, there are some nice ones here."

Solo nodded, at a loss for words.

"I'm going to go talk with Wufei and Heero, I'll leave you two to it."

Quatre favoured them with a beaming smile and walked off to where the other two were standing by the coffee table, nibbling on whatever it was in the bowls. Duo turned to Solo with sparkling eyes. "Here we go!" he announced, pulling things off the shelves and handing them to Solo. "I think this shirt will look good with your hair," he continuted, passing Solo something that felt like silk and shimmered between dark and light blue. "Or maybe this one. Ooh, I like this jacket… these jeans will make your ass look edible, mmm. Ooh, I can't wait to see you in these clothes."

"Maxwell! Restrain yourself from jumping your boyfriend, please!" Wufei called from across the room. Solo felt his cheeks heat up, but Duo just laughed.

"You're just jealous that he's mine, all mine!" he called back as he pushed Solo in the direction of the changing curtains.

X

Once the fiasco that was finding outfits was over and both Duo and Quatre were satisfied, the short blond led them to lunch and his soon-to-be husband.

"You'll like Trowa," Duo whispered. "He doesn't say a lot. He grew up in a mercenary group, so he gets our way of thinking."

"What would that be?" Heero asked, walking behind them. Wufei and Quatre were a few paces ahead, talking about chess.

Duo grinned over his shoulder. "The gang mentality. So' taught me. You're a lone wolf, so you don't quite get it like Tro does."

Heero tilted his head on one side, looking curious. So Solo decided to elaborate a little.

"S'like a family. Ya always look out fer yer brothers, never leave 'em behind. Anyfin' ya manage ter steal gets shared out, but possessions're sacred, unless the kid who owns them says it's ok. Stuff like that."

"You don' normally have to tell people," Duo said. "It's just the way you're brought up."

"I wasn't aware that you got on all that well with Trowa," Heero commented. "I don't think you ever spent much time together during the war. Wufei and I did, and Quatre."

"Hm… well, there was the schools with you, and Relena by proxy, then the desert with Q. I hung with Wufei when we were imprisoned on the moon, he got really chatty right before they shut the air off and he had a whole thing about conservin' oxygen. Trowa though… I was the one that found him when he lost his memory, and then there was that time on the Peacemillion where we were all lumped together in the one room."

"They tried ta suffocate ya?" Solo whispered in a choked voice, trying to suppress the urge to sweep the smaller teen into his arms and carry him off to some sort of hiding place.

Duo took one look at his face and slid an arm around his waist. "I'm ok, So'. Une turned the O2 on again."

"Sorry. S'just… I always looked out fer ya, and then that damn plague took me away, and now I gotchya back but you was so… so much happened ter ya an' I wasn't there ta fight wi' ya."

"I know. I missed ya. But we made it through. Let's stop talkin' 'bout the past, kay?"

"Kay."

Heero was frowning. "Why didn't you tell him before?" he asked.

"I did!" Duo protested.

Solo laughed mirthlessly. ""And then I got captured on purpose, an' they kept on takin' Heero away, and I tried ta provoke them into takin' me instead 'cause whatever the hell they were doin' was killing him! But they wouldn't. And then one day somethin' happened. The base was in an uproar, and we managed ter escape, find our upgraded Gundams and blast the hell outta there." Was whatcha told me."

"Well… it was true."

"Yeah, yer just missed the bit 'bout nearly dyin'."

"You were worried about me?" Heero asked as they walked into the room where they were to eat.

"Sure I was buddy! I worry 'bout everyone, ain't you figured that out yet?"

Solo was staring at the table with a sinking feeling in his stomach. All those knives and forks and glasses! There was a tall man sitting at the table already, with brown hair falling over bright green eyes. He looked at Solo and smiled.

"Bit daunting, isn't it?" he said quietly. "Just copy Quatre or Heero, they're the only ones who know which one goes with which. Quatre because he grew up with it, and Heero because it was part of his training. I'm Trowa."

"Solo," Solo said, sitting next to the brunette. Duo slid in next to him, still talking to Heero.

"Have you known Duo long? We expected Hilde."

"Since we was little. I was the leader of his old gang."

This tidbit of information won him a smile and a gentle nod. "I see."

"Although now s'more like partners. He don't need protectin' no more."

"I think you're wrong there. He might be a good fighter, but he's seen a lot of death. We all have. I think you might have to do my job."

Solo frowned. "Wha?" The rest of the table were now talking loudly about what he thought were mechanics, and paying no attention to them.

"Quatre is a gentle person. At the beginning of the war, he used to give his enemies a chance to surrender, and he would apologise for their deaths. Then, when he was on ZERO – that's a mind-altering program – he destroyed an entire colony. He wasn't in his right mind. Now, that incident, and all the other lives that he has taken haunt him. Make no mistake, he is dangerous. I do not think that he would hesitate to kill again if it was needed."

"So… what's your job?" Solo asked.

"Keeping Quatre sane."

"Why do ya want me ter do that?" Solo asked, more confused by the minute. Trowa smiled again.

"I don't. I want you to keep Duo sane. He acts tough, but I think you brought him up to run and hide, not to kill. Loosing you I guess gave him the edge he needed to kill, that and G's training. Look out for him."

Solo nodded, and then Duo leaned over his shoulder.

"Ne, Trowa, used up your word quota for the day?" he asked cheerfully.

Smiling, Trowa grunted, causing Duo to break into peals of laughter. Solo soaked in the happy sound, and then stared in surprise at the pizza that was set in the middle of the table. Quatre caught his eye and winked at him as the billionaire reached for a slice of the pepperoni.

X

The next morning, after a light breakfast (they anticipated a massive lunch), Duo walked into the large hall where the ceremony was to take place and stopped dead. Solo, who had been dogging his heels and wishing that he was holding his hand, almost ran into him.

"What's up?"

A slow grin broke over Duo's face, and Solo felt his stomach drop. He didn't like that expression. He really didn't like that expression. He turned to Heero, who was on their left.

"What's wrong wi' him?!" he hissed.

"Sorry, guys, I gotta do it…" Duo said, still grinning. Dramatically, the braided ex-pilot dropped to his knees, flung one arm forward, pointed at the hulking mass crouched at the end of the walkway, flung his head back and screamed "IT'S A GUNDAM!!!!" at the top of his voice.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Heero beside them and Wufei who was at the front already bust out laughing, followed by all the ex-military personnel in the room.

"Sorry, everyone, but I just had to do it!" Duo said to the portion of the crowd who were still staring.

Solo gave in to the urge, and slid his slim fingers between Duo's calloused ones. "I have the feeling that I missed something here," he whispered into his ear.

"Back in the war, every time we attacked a base, we hacked into their radio communications. And every time, without fail, one or more people would be yelling "It's a Gundam!" into their comm rather than doing anything constructive," Heero said, his deep blue eyes sparkling.

"It was most annoying," Wufei continued. "Weak people like that should not have been allowed to fight."

"Be that as it may, we have a wedding to attend. I suggest we all take our places before the rest of the guests arrive," Heero said sensibly, leading the way to the front of the hall and positioning himself next to a large flower arrangement.

The pilots were all standing at the front of the hall, and a seat had been reserved for Solo in the front row. Duo positioned himself nearby, and immediately frowned and narrowed his eyes at the woman sitting in the seat next to Solo's.

"Solo, meet my boss," he said. Solo blinked at the kind-looking lady with the long brown hair.

"Uh, nice to meet you," he said, holding out a hand. She shook it firmly. Obviously not as frail as she looked, but then he had known that from Duo's storys. "I believe I owe you a thank you."

She looked surprised. "I do not believe we've met before."

"We haven't."

"What can you possibly have to thank me for?" she asked, looking puzzled. Out of the corner of his eye, Solo could see a perplexed frown gracing the elfin features of his boyfriend as well.

"The lunar base. You turned the air back on."

Lady Une smiled. "I couldn't let the two of the finest fighters I've ever seen, one of whom was respected and liked by Treize-sama die in such a fashion."

She looked like she might have been about to say more, but a red-headed girl came running over. "I got the crumbs off my face!" she announced, sitting on the empty chair next to Une. "Hello, my name's Mariemaia Barton, what's yours?" she asked curiously.

"Solo."

"Your hair is pretty, it's really long. Don't you have a last name?"

"No."

"But everyone does! It's the same as your Mommy or Daddy's. Mine's the same as my Mommy, my Daddy was Treize Kushrenada, but that name is notorious so we thought it best that we didn't use it."

"I didn't know me Mommy, or me Daddy," Solo said, smiling at the little girl. Her eyes opened wide.

"Neither did I, but people told me about them. Why did nobody tell you?"

"Nobody knew. There was nobody ter look after me."

"That's very sad."

Solo shrugged, and Duo stepped forward. "Where'd you find this one, Lady?"

Lady Une smiled. "We quelled an uprising a few months ago. Marie was going to be used as a puppet to lure soldiers still loyal to Treize-sama. They made the mistake of contacting me, trying to get the Preventers on their side. Luckily we'd already heard the rumours. Once I found out who she was, I had to take her home with me."

"Are ya happy, Munchkin?" Duo asked, kneeling so that he was at eye level with Mariemaia.

"Yes, Lady Une is much, much nicer than Uncle. And she lets me go to school and have ice-cream for dessert."

"All the important things in life then. Oh, I think we're starting, there's Trowa," Duo said, rising to his feet. He brushed a quick kiss against Solo's lips, and then returned to his place.

"He kissed you!" Marie said incredulously.

"Uh… yes?" Solo replied, unsure how to react to her wide eyed expression.

"Mister Quatre and Mister Trowa are going to kiss at the wedding," she continued. "Are you going to get married too, Mister Solo?"

"I… I dunno. Maybe, someday."

"What's his name?" was the next question.

"Name?"

"The person with the long, long, long hair."

"Oh! 'S Duo. Duo Maxwell."

"Mister Solo and Mister Duo. If you do get married, will you invite me?"

"Sure I will."

"Will I have to wear an ikky dress again?"

"Naw, me an' Duo ain't like that. You'll be able ta wear anythin' ya like."

"Yay!"

"Shh now," Une said, smiling. "The ceremony is about to start."


	12. Epilogue

This chapter is for Coldfiredragon, for the best review I've had in a long time! I hope this chapter gives you the closure you were after.

xxx

Duo found himself more preoccupied with the silent exchange taking place between Solo and Mariemaia than with the words of the Priest. He wasn't sure what they were saying, but Solo had finally relaxed. The company of an innocent child putting him more at ease than Quatre's stunt with the pizza.

Duo was also looking forward to returning to the bedroom they had been designated at the mansion. He wanted to try out the large jacuzzi bathtub that he had seen in the ensuite!

After the ceremony, all the guests were directed to make their way to the large public gardens maintained by the Winner Corporation, where a marquee had been set up. Duo's eyes widened at the sight of the full orchestra that had assembled, and he felt Solo stiffen up again.

"What's that?" his boyfriend asked, pointing.

"An orchestra, for music I guess. Knowing Quat, there'll be a DJ somewhere too, for later. You hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Me too. Let's go find some food."

Duo was relieved to find that the marquee contained a buffet table laden with finger foods. He hated so called 'fine dining' and was far more comfortable eating with his hands. Relena and Heero had also decided that they were hungry, and it wasn't long before they met over the salad bowl.

"Greetings, Duo. How are you?" Relena asked warmly.

"I'm fine, Missy. How goes saving the world?"

"Not too bad. Some troublesome elements here and there, but most people are willing to listen to reason. Who is your friend?"

"Relena, meet Solo. Solo, this is Relena Peacecraft."

"Uh, nice to meet you?" Solo looked like he was contemplating running away. Relena smiled disarmingly.

"Please, don't feel uncomfortable. I'm here as a friend, not as an official."

Duo grinned, and grabbed Solo's hand, twining their fingers together. "He's not used to meeting important people, Relena. Don't mind us. We're going to go find a quiet spot to listen to the orchestra. See you later!"

"Thanks fer saving me," Solo whispered as soon as they were out of earshot. Duo laughed.

"No problem, Relena can be a little overwhelming. She doesn't seem to realise how much of a celebrity she is!"

They walked a short way through the park and stopped on a small slope to the left of the orchestra. The music floated over and around them, and a large rhododendron hid them from the rest of the crowds.

"You just don't meet people you hear about on the radio," Solo protested, waving a small sausage in emphasis. He had crumbs on his face, and Duo couldn't resist the temptation to reach out and wipe them off, caressing Solo's soft skin as he did so. Solo glared at him playfully out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you tryin' to make me jump ya?"

"At Q's wedding?" Duo retorted. "I'd like t'see ya try!"

The two plates went flying as Solo pounced on Duo, sending them both tumbling down the slope. Solo ended up on top of Duo, clutching his wrists gently. Nose to nose, they both laughed breathlessly.

"You've eaten something garlicky," Duo complained, wrinkling his nose.

"Shut up," Solo ordered, leaning down and kissing him soundly. "Or I really will ravish ya."

"I thought that that was what you were doin'?"

"Smartarse."

Duo freed his wrists easily and wound his arms around Solo's neck.

"Back then, livin' in a mouldy ol' box, I neva thought this'd 'appen."

"Me neither. Love ya, kid."

"Love you too, So'. Ever an' always."

Sighing, Solo rolled off and got to his feet, brushing down his expensive new clothes. He had a worried frown on his face as he contemplated the new creases he had acquired. Duo laughed, brushing down his own clothes.

"Don't worry about 'em, Q won't. Come on, we should get the plates back to where one of the servers will collect them."

xxx

Late that evening, Solo was dancing with Duo at the edge of the dancefloor. He had been very nervous about this part of the evening, as soon as Duo had mentioned dancing. The moves he had learnt at the club would not be suitable, he was sure. Earlier, he had been proved right, as the dancefloor had filled with women in dresses and men in tuxedos, and the orchestra had played waltzs and polkas – not that he knew the names, Duo had had to tell him. Heero had danced with Relena for most of the sets, but then a long black car had arrived to take them away. Heero had shook hands with him and Relena gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Duo laugh at his dumb expression afterwards.

Soon afterwards the DJ had begun spinning, and suddenly the party seemed much more familiar. Solo was comfortable with loud beats and a writing crowd of sweaty bodies; he had had to deal with that for years. Laughing at his relieved expression – Duo had laughed a lot that day – he was pulled onto the dancefloor by his hyperactive partner and made to shimmy to the beat.

The free champagne had risen to his head. Solo tilted his head back and allowed Duo to pull the tie from his hair, shaking it around himself as he danced. He noticed several women, and men, in the crowd giving him admiring glances, and was amused when Duo glared back, moving closer to dance in synch with him.

"You're mine," the brunette growled into his ear.

He repeated it again later, in bed, right before he bit, licked and sucked a mark into Solo's neck, something Solo didn't mind and knew he would apologise for profusely the next day whatever Solo said.

Xxx

They boarded the shuttle the next morning, tired, slightly hung over and happy. Trowa and Quatre were already off on their honeymoon, and Winner-Barton had been the final decision. Wufei, Une and Mariemaia had travelled to the shuttle port as well, planning on returning to Earth. Duo looked over Solo's shoulder as he waved at the small girl through the window. She was standing on the other side of the barrier, waving furiously. He raised his hand as well, not wanting to leave without acknowledging her final goodbye. It would be bad manners. Une smiled and Wufei raised his hand as well.

"Did you have fun?" Duo asked after the pilot closed the windows and began to take them out of the shuttle bay.

"Yes, I did."

"Glad to be going home?"

"Very. I liked it, but I love you, I love living with you."

"Me too."

Duo rested his head on Solo's shoulder as he had when he was five, and Solo lifted a gentle hand to caress his hair.

"Let's go home."


End file.
